Kaze no Fantasia
by Dark Magician Girl Aeris
Summary: When an injured Jin gets stranded in the ningenkai, he finds himself taken in by a human girl who houses and feeds him while he heals. In return, he teaches the quiet, shy youth to enjoy life again, because we all need to laugh sometimes.
1. Crash Landing in the Human World

Somebody shoot me, I must be insane.

Well, I guess I should explain that. What you're now reading is a story I started waaaay back in 2006 and then just kind of left alone for, oh, two and a half years. And now I'm working on it again. The problem is, my original first two chapters... um... sucked. So I went back and fixed them. And that's what you're reading now. The fixed parts. Yeah.

I've always been fond of the character Jin. He's one of those rare characters that just makes me laugh. Every. Single. Time. I think that's what's pulled me back to this story- lately, I need to laugh. And, with a little help from my darling fiance and my equally darling younger sister... bless you both, you little twits... I've rather run out of reasons _not_ to work on Kaze no Fantasia again. But I'll explain that when I finally post chapter three.

So, again, this chapter is a rewrite of the original. I've always had certain scenes and conversations that I was just not happy with as time went by, so I've ironed those out a bit, polished it all up, and made it shiny. Because really, we all need to laugh sometimes.

And, as a note, I've also decided to include Mana's 'playlists' if anyone is wondering. For chapter one, the songs she listens to are:  
Kaze no Fantajia- Fantasia of the Wind: Record of Lodoss War; Ending Theme from one variant of the anime  
Kiseki no Umi- Sea of Miracles: Record of Lodoss War, Opening Theme from the OTHER variant of the anime (Oi!)  
Hiro no Tsuki- Daytime Moon; Outlaw Star ending theme

That way you guys can go look all of those up. Just remember, the versions I use in the story are English translations (loose ones) while the songs themselves are in Japanese.

So... let's go!

Okay, I really need to think of a different catchphrase for this story...

* * *

The last thing he remembered before the gate opened was shouting. Shouting... and a stabbing pain across his middle. Now the shouts were gone, but the pain was still there, cutting through his midsection. Shifting against the cold brick wall, Jin closed his eyes and tried to remember quite what had happened. Risho. Risho had cornered them for a chat when the ambush had started. The stone manipulator had gone down first, his left leg twisted at an odd angle by the surprise blow. Touya and Jin had immediately gone into defensive mode, but it wasn't enough. Somehow, they had been caught off guard. Jin remembered a blast of some sort from behind and then the sharp, searing pain of the blade in his gut. Touya had grabbed Risho and gotten the gate to the human world open right as the ground exploded beneath them, spraying them with shrapnel. He looked around for his friends, but neither were to be seen as the red-haired wind master sat in the dank alleyway where he'd come out, watching the humans pass him by with one hand pressed to his stomach. Most took no notice of him, and the few who did quickly made their way past. Jin heard murmurs about delinquents and drunkards from the ones who walked fast. A man in a business suit walked by muttering about 'punk kids these days' while a young woman very openly dragged her small daughter across the street at the sight of him. Fine, upstanding members of human society, he thought with a sigh. Finally Jin stopped paying attention to the people altogether. He felt hungry, weak from blood loss, and so thirsty he could barely stand it, but he couldn't move yet. He closed his eyes and sat against the wall, waiting for his wounds to heal enough that he could at least move to the other end of the alley, away from the bustling street.

He must have fallen asleep, Jin decided later, because the girl came as a complete surprise. He just opened his eyes and there she was, crouched in front of him. He said nothing, just stared at the strange lavender eyes that were peering so intently into his own deep blue ones. She was very young, he noted as she started rustling through a messenger-style book bag after several silent moments of eye contact. She had pale skin that stood in sharp contrast to her periwinkle blue school uniform and hair like corn silk, a fine gold veil that swept down to her waist. Finally she seemed to find what she was looking for, because she tilted her head lightly and pulled out a paper bag. "Here," she said in a soft voice, "You need this more than I do."

Before Jin could reply, there was a shout from outside the alleyway. "Mana!"

The girl's head snapped up. She grabbed her bag and rose to her feet, looking towards the main street. "Just a minute," she called as she hastily closed the book bag and slung it over her shoulder. She looked down at Jin again, studying him appraisingly before bobbing her head in a curt nod. "You'd better try and get some rest, heal those wounds. And try to stay out of sight, too." She reached down and tapped him right on the horn. "I don't think you want people to see that."

And then she turned and ran out of the alley, was gone. All that was left was the brown paper bag. Slightly perplexed about her reaction to his horn, he opened it and found a bottle of apple juice, a large bread roll of some sort, and a small boxed lunch. Jin's eyes widened. This girl, whom he had never seen in his life, had given him food! He opened the box eagerly, his mouth practically watering. Rice and fish and some sort of salad! He ate quickly, almost feeling like it was the first meal he'd had in months, and then sat back against the wall again, scooting back a bit to get a little more out of sight. He still felt weak, and his middle still burned, but at least his stomach was satisfied. He would probably be able to heal a bit now. He fell asleep.

* * *

"Mana Koyama, you did not give your lunch to a bum on the street!"

Sitting on the steps of Sarayashiki Junior High several hours later, the golden-haired girl winced. "Not just a bum, okay, Sachi? This guy seemed different..."

Sachiko Misato, Sachi for short, rolled her eyes and tossed her long black hair as her identical twin, Hachiko or Hachi, tore her anpan bun in half and held the larger part out to Mana. "Bum or not, you can't go without eating. You know what it does to you."

Mana nodded before bending her head down and tearing off a mouthful of the sweet bread, too hungry to waste her time on words and in too much of a hurry to care about manners. Right now she really wanted two things- to eat, and to avoid the subject of the boy in the alleyway. Even she shouldn't be able to walk down the street and find wounded apparitions just sitting there in the open. Come to think of it, if the twins thought he was just some bum, well, that was fine with her...

"Botan hasn't been around lately, has she?"

Mana was so busy on her food that she hadn't caught which twin had spoken. Raising her head- and silently cursing their identical voices- she saw Hachiko looking at her, waiting for an answer. Mana shook her head as she swallowed. "There haven't been any cases needing my abilities. Besides, she says I should lay low for a while." The blonde eyed Sachiko's half-eaten bento lunch. "Are you going to finish that?"

"Only if you answer me this," Sachiko countered. "If you haven't been doing any jobs for the spirit world, then why are you so hungry lately?"

Mana grinned ruefully. "I've been doing precision training?"

"Training how?" The girl's hands were on her hips in a 'don't cross me' pose. The blonde girl sighed. She knew that pose well; it was the one her friend always had right before she started trying to smack people. It was probably best to just be honest for once.

"Avoiding the college kids, mostly. I've been using the spyglass to keep an eye out."

The youth's voice was shrill. "They are _not_ still gathered at your apartment building! Oh, those idiots, just because you helped their stupid club once..."

"There are a few left. I just use the fire escape." Mana reached towards the remnants of Sachi's lunch; the other teen grudgingly handed it over. "But sometimes they catch me anyway, and I have to create a diversion to get away. A small explosion at some point across the street usually works. Point and click behind my back, a few trash cans explode, and no one notices me any more."

"Mana!" Mana backed away as both girls closed in on her in unison. "Mana, you can't do that," Hachiko half yelled, half wailed. "You know what Botan says about expending your reiki like that! No wonder you're eating so much! Your body must be starved for energy!"

"From now on, we're walking you home. I can deal with the idiots while Hachi gets you inside." Sachiko's voice was serious, but Mana waved her aside anyway.

"I'll be fine, okay? Besides, I have things to do today."

"Like what?" Sachiko demanded.

Mana shrugged, looking up at them with level eyes. When in doubt, there was always one ploy that worked. She waved her hand noncommittally. "Oh, you know, grocery shopping and the like. They're having a sale at a store across town, and I can get eggs really cheap, so I thought I'd get that done."

The twins stared at her a moment, and then Hachiko threw her arms around Mana's shoulders. "It's not fair! Poor, poor Mana, it must be so hard living all by yourself!"

The blonde cringed slightly. As mean as it was, playing on Hachi's sympathies always worked. Always. "As long as Dad keeps paying the rent, I'm fine. My allowance more than pays for the food I eat, and I don't mind the quiet. You worry too much." The bell rang, and Mana stuffed the last bit of rice into her mouth before standing. "Come on. They're announcing the results on the last mock exams today. I want to get in and see my score."

"What are you worried about, you probably got high marks again," Sachiko muttered. "I swear, some people are born lucky."

Mana rolled her eyes. "It's called studying. You should try it some time."

After school that day, Mana did not go shopping as she had told her friends she would. She'd done that the day before, after all. The girl sighed, feeling a small pang of regret over yet another lie as she headed back towards the alley she'd stopped in on the way to school that morning. Barely even a block and a half from her home, even. What was the human world coming to today? Peeking around the corner, she saw her empty lunch box lying at the feet of a sleeping figure. "Still here, huh?" There was no response. The girl knelt down cautiously, looking the demon boy over. What she saw was enough to make her more than a little puzzled.

Asleep, his expression was innocent and unassuming in a way that contrasted sharply with the rest of his muscular body. He had the build of a trained fighter with the face of a teenaged boy. He was breathing through his mouth, his lips barely parted, and she noted with some amusement that he had a single tiny fang peeking out from under his upper lip. His mane of bright red hair seemed a bit natty, but looking at the messy cut she wondered if that wasn't just an every-day thing. The tiny white horn was what amused her the most, though. Like his face, it somehow seemed too cute and innocent for the rest of his body. She reached forward, resting her finger on the tip of the horn. It wasn't overly sharp, but it wasn't dull, either. As a fighter, and she was certain he was a fighter now, he probably had found some pretty creative uses for it. She pulled her hand away from the horn, brushing his bangs back from his face instead. He had big blue eyes; she remembered them from that morning. There was a scratch just below one messy eyebrow, a small spot of dried blood that had once been working it's way to his eye, just as there were scratches, cuts, and gashes all over his body. She rested her hand over the shallow scrape, pulling away only once the small wound was gone. "You're lucky. Most of these seem pretty shallow."

There was no answer, but he did shift slightly in his sleep. The girl's eyes widened as his hand fell away from his stomach. The wound there was _not_ small; a gash started maybe her hand's width to the left of his naval and traveled upwards and across to the right at least a good eight inches at least. It wasn't bleeding at the moment, but the skin along the cut was an angry red with... she knelt closely, inspecting it... with a purplish cast in the flesh at the very edges. Discoloration like that usually meant some form of toxin. Judging from the clean cut, it had probably been from some sort of poisoned dagger or the like. Mana reached into her bag and pulled out a length of silver cord. "I guess we'll have to take care of that, then."

* * *

The first thing Jin was aware of was the noise. Or rather, he was aware of the fact that the noise suddenly wasn't there any more. Gone was the hustle and bustle of the streets, and in its place was music. Soft, pretty music. As he lay there, listening to the music, he also became aware of the fact that most of the pain had receded, leaving only the throbbing of his wounded stomach. Add to that the fact that he was actually quite warm and comfortable, and Jin was confused. Then the music ended, and another melody began, and with it a soft, sweet song.

"Please, give me your wonders... fill me with a fantasia... and I will stray no longer, all for my love of you..."

Jin opened his eyes and took in what he could of his surroundings, but all he could really tell lying on his back was that he was indoors.

"Oh, spirits of the wind, spread your wings wide, and fly through the valleys of time with the speed of light..."

Pretty song, he thought, turning his head to look around. He was in somebody's house, lying on a couch with a small coffee table in front of it. Someone had covered him with a blanket. It was a pretty good-sized place from what he could see, with a half-wall between the kitchen and the living room. There was a flat-screen television mounted on the wall, he noted, the kind that rich humans liked to show off. A small shelf under the TV and the movie boxes running along it had dust enough to hint that they weren't used very often. There was also a section within his visual range with a table and chairs and a china cabinet that seemed like it should be a dining area, save for the fact that the table was covered in books and papers. One wall of the living room was glass, and there was a door in it leading to a balcony beyond. The place was bright with the mid-day sun.

"To be in love with you is destiny. I have decided it will be forever, like a night that has no end, all because of you."

That had to be some of the prettier singing he'd ever heard with the exception of a regrettable tangle or two with siren song (or not so regrettable, depending on how he looked at it), and it was coming from the kitchen. Jin was certain it was a live human being, and not a recording, and he struggled to sit up to see the singer. Just a little further and he could see over that dividing wall...

"Come, lay down your head, rest within my heart..."

Long blonde hair was the first thing he saw, fine and golden like corn silk, a waist-length veil. Pale white arms up to the elbows in soapsuds as she did the dishes. And underneath her bright red apron was a periwinkle blue school uniform. Jin stared. It was the girl from the alleyway, the one who had given him something to eat.

"If we can just open our hearts, we will see a fantasia... if we can just close our eyes, our dreams will come true... Oh, veils of the wind, lift away and then we find double moons within the sky, shining through the skylights above."

She was singing along with a CD playing in the stereo next to her, and did not appear to be aware that he had awakened. Jin tilted his head to the side as he watched her. Something about her voice haunted him, and he began to feel drowsy again. He shook his head to clear it.

"The stars we saw last night have traveled millions of miles, surpassing all of history just to meet us here. To be in love with you is destiny. I have decided it will be forever, like a night that has no end, all because of you."

Jin shifted to stand. Maybe he could slip out while she was distracted. It would be best not to spend too much time with a human, after all. As nice as the species could be, it was just one of those things that really wasn't too smart. He could move now, so he really should try to find Touya and Risho.

Her voice cut across the room without her ever having taken her eyes off her dishes. "I wouldn't get up just yet, if I were you." Jin stopped short as she turned. "I was able to take care of most of your injuries, but I can't seem to make any difference with the large wound on your stomach. I think it may have been poisoned." She dried her hands on a dishcloth as she came around the dividing wall. "I bandaged it as best I could, but without stitches it could come open again, so you shouldn't get up." The girl held out her hand. "I'm Mana, Spirit Detective in training."

Had he heard her right? Jin took her hand, blinking. "Yer what now?"

Mana stared at him, a look of surprise on her face at the sound of his voice. It was the sort of expression that should have been accompanied by a smirk or a smile, but the girl did neither. "You know what a spirit detective is, no?"

"Yeah, ah know." There it was again. Her mouth quirked when he talked. Damn it, his accent was getting away from him and now the human girl was looking at him funny.

"I'm still in training."

Her hand in his was tiny and delicate. He studied it in silence, having a very, very hard time believing that this girl could ever work for the spirit world as anything more than, say, a secretary. It was as he was looking down at her hand in his that he noticed the twisted cord around his right wrist. "Eh! Wot's 'at doing' there?"

Mana removed her hand from his to scratch the back of her neck. "I put it there... to suppress your yoki..." She looked up at him through her bangs, and almost, almost smiled. "Sorry. I couldn't take the chance that you'd be violent when you woke up."

Jin stared at her. "Ya know wot ah am..." Damn it. He tried again, more slowly this time. "Ya know what ah am..." Slightly better, although she still looked almost amused. Okay, so it had been hardly better at all. He gave up. "And ya brought me here anyway, with just a little bit o' string to protect ya?" How was she expecting a bracelet to seal his demon energy?! Mana looked away, pursing her lips just a little. Jin bristled slightly. She was _laughing_ at him, wasn't she? He scowled, his control slipping again. "In't 'at just a li'l bit dangerous?"

"Well, it wasn't like I could leave you where you were." The girl turned and walked back into the kitchen, her decidedly golden hair swishing behind her as she went. He stared, wondering what it would look like with a little bit of a curl to it. Almost like a princess's hair, if it only had some curl. Eh, he'd listened to too many of his mum's stories as a boy... "Anyway, you just rest, and I'll fix you something to eat."

Jin settled back down onto the couch, staring after the girl in disbelief. Okay, so she didn't remotely look like spirit detective material, and she didn't seem to have very much of an aura about her, but the courage was there, he had to give her that. The courage was definitely there. Of all the kinds of humans he had met, only the ones who worked for the Spirit World would be so balls-on crazy as to bring someone like _him_ into their homes...

He continued to watch her as she moved about the kitchen, singing along with her music again. "The dark night sky above exists to expose our hearts as they call out to each other when the two of us are apart..." There was something mesmeric about her voice. It grabbed a hold of him, enveloped him in a strange sort of warmth as he settled down into the blankets on the couch. Jin ran a hand over his middle and felt the bandages beneath his fingers. He held his arms out in front of him. He could see pale streaks in his skin, places wounded in the explosion that were now healing at an unusually rapid rate, even for him. That must be were her power lies, Jin decided- in healing. She wasn't a combatant for the spirit world, she was a nurse. He looked back up at Mana. She was moving about the kitchen, heating something on the stove even as she put rice in a steamer to cook. And she was still singing, always singing. He wished she would stop. Her voice was pretty, yes, but it was making him want to fall asleep...

Eh?

"Oh, wind, I rise and turn to face you! Now let's go to the sea of torment ahead..."

There she was singing about the wind again. It was a little eerie, Jin decided, but probably just coincidence. She was just singing along with what was on her CD. Good taste in songs, he decided, shaking his head slightly to keep from nodding off again.

"By the way," Mana called out conversationally, "You haven't told me your name yet."

"Em?" The redhead blinked. He hadn't, had he? "Ah'm Jin."

"Jin," the girl repeated. "Well, nice to meet you, Jin." He heard dishes clattering where he couldn't see them, and then Mana came around carrying a plate. "I hope chicken is okay." She set a plate of stir-fried vegetables, chicken, and rice in front of him, and then sat down on the floor expectantly. Jin picked up the food and ate, slightly resentful of the fact that he was letting this human girl feed him for the second time in a day but too hungry to actually put the food down. The whole time he ate he could feel her eyes on him, watching his every move. So she had courage, but she wasn't stupid. He would have to remember that. He raised his eyes to look at her. She was leaning with her elbows on the table and her chin resting on her hands. Her eyes were curious, but still wary. "Is it good?" He nodded between bites. "Good." She rolled back on her heels, as though satisfied, and stood. "I've got a bit of homework to do, so you just rest, okay?"

Mana walked over to the table with the papers on it and sat down. Pulling a stack of papers to her, she then picked a book and set to working. The only sounds were the music on her CD player and the occasional scratch of a pencil as she wrote on the papers before her. Jin settled more comfortably onto the couch and watched her work. After a while, she glanced up at him, and their eyes met. Mana closed the book in front of her and sat back in her seat. "You ought to sleep."

"Ah don't feel like it."

Mana tapped at a piece of paper with her pencil a moment. Then she tipped her head back and began to sing once more, about the moon and the sands and cherry blossoms in the breeze. Jin listened, and realized that his eyes were starting to shut without his permission again. He shook his head hard, and looked back up at the girl. She was staring right at him, and looked determined. She's doing it deliberately, the wind master realized. She was using her song as a sort of weapon, trying to force him to sleep. Well, we'd just see... about... that...

Jin slipped off to sleep just as Mana ended her song. She watched him a moment, and then went back to her schoolwork.

* * *

It only took Mana a couple hours to complete the assignments she'd been given for the next day and get a good start on the ones due at the end of the week. Closing the last of her books, she sat back to muse over her new houseguest. Jin, huh? Drumming a book idly with her fingers, she looked over at him. He was still asleep. Good. He had to have been weak, she reflected as she stood, for her poorly trained lulling techniques to have knocked him out completely. The blonde walked over to the couch, kneeling down and loosening the bandages on the demon boy's waist gently. Yes, now that she'd had a chance to talk to him he definitely seemed young to her. His arms and legs appeared to be recovering nicely, but damn it all if that gash on his stomach didn't seem to have healed a single bit. Mana frowned as she took a basket from the head of the couch and pulled out a jar of salve and a roll of fresh bandages. Well, at least she could keep the wound from getting infected while she figured out what it was about, and maybe she could clear up a few of those scars if she just pushed out a little more energy.

He seemed nice enough, she decided as she worked. At least, he wasn't openly hostile when he woke up in her home. He hadn't said much, but he hadn't been being rude, just wary. So had she, so she didn't really mind. And the accent was cute. Mana's mouth quirked as she worked. Honestly, that was one of those things that amused her about demons; they were every bit as diverse and unusual as humans were. Still, Irish? That was new. That was definitely new.

It had been a real pain getting him here that afternoon, Mana reflected. The next time she had guests, she really needed to make sure they were conscious first. She had honestly tried to wake the demon and he just... wouldn't. So she'd had to settle for tying the binding cord around his wrist and then dragging him a block and a half down the back streets to her home, and boy! Was he heavy! And then she couldn't use the front door because she'd be seen, but she couldn't use the fire escape like she was accustomed because the ladder was ten feet off the ground and had to be climbed to, so she'd sat for about half-an-hour trying to decide how to get him up to her fourth-floor apartment before she'd remembered the old service elevator in the back of the building. Still, she'd reflected, at least she'd managed to keep off the busy streets. That had been a definite plus.

Of course, it had hardly been a picnic once she had him in her home, either, because Jin still hadn't woken up, and she had to sort of shove him around a bit to check all the cuts and scrapes on his body. It had taken a while to get all of the dirt and bits of rock out of his arms and legs. And bandaging his waist had been, and still was, a pain, because she had to keep shifting him to get the bandages around him. But Mana didn't really mind that much. It made her feel good to be useful to someone, if only for a short while. Besides, she could hardly say she wasn't curious about this one. Sitting there, in her world, all torn up, so weak that she could put him to sleep with her song. That technique was more suited to cooling tempers than it was to being a full anesthetic. What the heck had happened to this guy? Mana tied off the last bandage and sat back, her eyes falling on the binding cord she'd placed on Jin's wrist. That was going to hurt her later on, she reflected, but she still didn't know enough about him to take it off. The blonde sighed and pulled a framed photograph out of her first aid basket.

"Too bad you're not here, Mama. You'd know just what to do, wouldn't you?"

* * *

Jin woke up in the middle of the night with the distinct impression that something was wrong. He frowned, trying to figure it out. The apartment was dark and silent, and he lay straining his ears in the dark. It had been a noise, he was sure of it. Some tiny noise had woken him up, the kind that meant something wasn't right...

There it was. The noise was somebody coughing. Jin sat up, trying to see over the back of the couch. There was a hallway back there, and coughing behind a door to the... right? He stood slowly, carefully, and headed towards the hallway. Two doors to the left, one to the right, and the noise was _definitely_ coming from the one to the right. He rested his hand on the door, and to his surprise it opened at the slight touch. Jin stood there a moment before actually looking into the room.

It was Mana's room. By pushing the door just a little more, he could see her. She was sitting hunched over on her bed with her back mostly to him, coughing so violently it shook her whole body. Coughing something up, if the bucket she hugged to her was any indication. Jin stepped back from the door as the girl gasped for air. He felt like he shouldn't be watching this, like he was invading her privacy. He reached to pull the door closed behind him when Mana retched suddenly, and he thought he smelled blood. There was more coughing, and then a cold, cold silence. Jin tugged at the door and froze when he heard a sound like hinges squeaking. Don't let her hear that, he pleaded with the door silently. Please don't let her hear that... but then he heard it again. It wasn't the door at all. It was the girl on the other side of the door. Was she... crying?

Jin stuck his head back into the room, unable to contain his curiosity. Mana was curled up on her side, hugging her pillow to her face to muffle the sound. She lay like that for several minutes, crying softly, before he heard a shuddering gasp, and then another, as she tried to silence herself. Jin stepped away from the door and pulled it shut, puzzled. She seemed like she was in a lot of pain, and the air around her felt kind of unsteady. She hadn't seemed that strong earlier, but she hadn't seemed quite this weak, either. The wind apparition shook his head as he headed back to the couch. It was none of his business anyway. He would stick around until this wound healed and then be gone. The girl could keep whatever was wrong to herself.


	2. Being Nosy is Fun!

Ah, chapter two. This chapter, like the first, has been edited, polished, and generally made read-able for the general public. There was a lot more in here that I just wasn't all too pleased with, but it's all better now. After this, I can finally work on getting chapter three cleaned up and completing chapter four. Wow. I think one of my favorite things about this re-write has been the fact that not only do I get to go back and make my original character more interesting, but I get to make Jin just a little bit quirkier than he was before. It's fun...

As for Mana, originally I don't think I did very well with her character. She seemed a little too flat, a little too one-sided, and I'm finally getting to fix that. The first time around, I really think I bunged up on her motives and the fact that what this girl does does not always reflect what she's thinking. Now that I have a chance to start over with her, I think I can make her a lot more realistic and believable. For that, at least, I'm glad.

No playlist this time around, although Mana does show her habit of humming Kaze no Fantasia when she's occupied. Heh.

So, as I still don't have an actual tag for this story... let's go.

* * *

Jin woke the next morning, like the night before, to noise. Only this time it was a loud clattering and an exclamation. "Damn it all!"

The wind master sat up, peering over the dividing wall curiously. Mana was in the kitchen again, a frying pan in one hand and a finger from the other in her mouth. She waved the pan at the stove, muttering something that sounded like it could be "evil old thing" around the finger before stabbing at the stove again with the pan. Jin wasn't sure, but the next exclamation seemed to be along the lines of "I will cook my stupid eggs!" He tilted his head, amused.

"Yer not a mornin' person, are ya?"

"Wah?" Mana blinked. "Oh... Oh! Did I wake you up! I'm so sorry! It's this damn stove! It flared up on me! It almost caught my hair this time!"

Jin leaned against the back of the couch, noting that it was the second time she had used the word 'damn' in as many minutes. Yesterday she hadn't sworn at all. She was the kind that tried to be polite, then, not the kind that came by it naturally. "Mebbe ya should try wearin' it up when ya cook."

"Mm, I would have but I couldn't find a rubber band." Mana fiddled with the controls on the stove. "There we go, that should do it. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, ah guess so." Jin flinched lightly at the sound of his own voice. It was still getting away from him pretty thickly. The girl didn't seem to be noticing quite so much, though.

"Well, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes." He heard eggs being cracked and other cooking sounds and smells, so he sat and waited. Mana moved back and forth through the kitchen, occasionally murmuring to herself under her breath or humming some small snatch of a tune. She was dressed in a fresh school uniform, he noted, underneath the red apron of the day before.

"Eh, wot day is it, anyway?"

"Today? Today is Wednesday." Mana had two heated pans on the stove now, and she would alternately poke at one and shuffle the other a bit. She studied the pans a moment, then ducked out of sight, digging around in drawers, it sounded like. She emerged holding bread, which went into a toaster, and then turned to get rice out of a big, cylindrical cooker, and then her attention was back on the two frying pans. The whole room was starting to smell pretty good, and Jin heard his stomach rumble slightly. He hoped she would hurry up with the food, but Mana seemed like she was in no real rush. Finally, he heard the sounds of food being dished up, and the girl came out carrying a plate in each hand. She handed him one and sat down with the other. Jin looked at his plate. Toast, fluffy white rice in a bowl, a piece of fish filet, and a fluffy golden omelet. It looked good to him. He dug in.

"Ya know, yer a pretty good cook," he told her around mouthfuls.

"Thanks." And then Mana actually smiled at him for the first time. Jin blinked. It was just the slightest turning of her mouth, but it did reach her eyes and suddenly the thin, pale face didn't seem so dull any more. In fact, it was rather pretty. He tilted his head.

"Ey! Yer cute when ya do 'at! Ya should smile more often!" Mana's eyes went wide, and she immediately went back to her food. Jin saw a slight blush creeping across her cheeks. "Oh, come on, now, 'at was a compliment. Ya should be happy." He reached over and poked her in the side with a chopstick, and she squeaked slightly. "Come on, let's give us another smile." Mana shook her head, hiding her face behind her hair. Jin stared at her, realizing rather abruptly that he had a new way to entertain himself. "Well, fine, then, ya kin just be 'at way. Don't see wot yer so afraid of, though. Ya really do got a nice smile, so says ah." He poked her with his chopstick again, and again she squeaked. "And it won't kill ya to laugh, either. Ah bet ya'd be real pretty if ya laughed." Oh, yes, there was definitely red spreading across that pale face. It wasn't a lot, but it was there. Jin sat back, satisfied. This human was surprisingly easy to tease, but enough was enough. He didn't really feel like being mean to her, after all.

Besides, he couldn't get the image of the girl crying into her pillow out of his head. Jin looked over at Mana. Her reiki was weaker, the air around her running decidedly more frail than it had been the day before. He wondered what had happened to drain her that much. Not that it mattered, but still. He was curious.

Mana finished her breakfast and rose to her feet. Heading over to the dining table, she started gathering books and papers and sliding them into her school bag. As she worked, she hummed a bit of a tune. Jin recognized the song; it had been the first one he'd heard her singing. "Wot's 'at called?"

"Huh?"

"The song yer singing. Wot's it called?"

"Oh. Fantasia of the Wind."

"Ye sure do sing a lot of songs about wind," Jin observed.

"I like the wind. It makes me feel calm." Mana examined the contents of a pencil case. "My mom used to tell me, every person has an element. Something that brings them peace, you know? For Mama, it was fire. Whenever she was stressed out or tired or even just depressed, she'd light a candle and stare at the flame until she felt better. Other people might work with earth in a garden, or get a small fountain to watch the water. Me, whenever I'm sad, I stand on my balcony and listen to the wind."

Jin felt a small twinge of what could almost be called liking this human. She was starting to become _interesting_. "And the wind talks to ya, does it?" Mana pursed her lips; she must have thought he was teasing her again. Jin winced and changed the subject. "Where's yer mom now?"

"She died when I was eight," Mana said softly as she put the pencil case in her bag. "She was a spirit detective, like me... but in the end, it killed her."

"And yer dad?"

There was a soft, almost derisive snort from the blonde, one that he wondered if she was even aware of. "My father's a businessman. He works overseas, and I usually see him only a couple of times a year and again at New Years."

The redhead stared. Mana sounded... _bitter_. It was just the slightest edge, subtle as could be, but it sounded as though she didn't really care for her father, or didn't approve of his actions. "So ya don't get along with 'im, then."

"He's never around to get along with. He stayed at home for about three years, but when I was eleven he left me in the care of the neighbors and went back to work."

He flinched at her matter-of-fact tone. If it wasn't for that slight edge, Jin would have sworn she wasn't even feeling right then at all. "Sounds rough..."

"I'm better off without him," Mana said firmly. "He wouldn't understand the work I do for the spirit world, anyway. He didn't even know Mama was a detective. He thinks she died in a car accident." The girl grabbed a lunchbox from the cupboards and started packing her lunch. "It was probably better for him that way. He never did believe in spirits. He thought Mama was a waitress." She stopped, staring down at the bag she was packing. "Well, she was, I guess. Some of the time. So he was probably better off that way."

To Jin, the words sounded like those of a girl who was only lying to herself. He watched as Mana finished packing for school. Her face seemed shadowed now, as though her mind still dwelt on what she had been telling him. Finally, she looked over at him. "Sorry I took that out on you... It's just... sometimes I wish he would come home so badly..." She hefted her bag over her shoulder. "Anyway, I've got to get going. There's leftover Chinese food in the fridge if you get hungry, it's the stuff in the little white boxes. It's only a couple of days old." Jin nodded, startled by the sudden return of her business-as-usual tone. "Water's in the fridge, and glasses are in the cabinet over the sink. The bathroom's the first door down the hall to the left if you need it, and please keep the front door locked. The neighbors aren't dangerous or anything, but there's this one senile old man down the hall who tends to wander a bit and doesn't really mind where he goes to the bathroom. And if you turn on the TV, try to keep the sound down so no one complains." They stared at each other for a moment, an awkward silence filling the room, before Mana headed for the door. "Anyway, I think that's it. Bye."

Jin waved, still working out the wave of information he'd just gotten, staring after the girl as the door clicked shut. She'd talked so openly, like she was glad for the chance to get all of that off her chest. How long had she held that resentment towards her father bottled up inside her? He was starting to feel a little bit sorry for the little lass now. As far as humans went, she was awfully young to be alone...

* * *

Why in the world had she been thinking? Damn it, now Jin knew she lived by herself. Mana stared out the classroom window as her math teacher droned on, thinking more about the stranger she'd brought into her home than the lesson they were having. She'd already read the chapter he was covering, and had no real interest in paying attention. The teacher was _boring_...

The teacher thought otherwise. "Miss Koyama!"

Mana's head snapped up, and there was snickering from a small clique off in the corner. "Miss Koyama, since you already seem to have had this lesson, why don't you come solve the problem off the board for us?"

Mana stood, eyeing the problem on the chalkboard. Yes, she remembered doing this problem as practice last night; it was right out of the book. Walking to the front of the class, Mana picked up a piece of chalk and silently wrote out the problem, circling the answer when she was done. It was always the same at this stupid school; the adults all thought they were so much better than their students. There were only a couple of them that she actually liked, and this wasn't one of them. She looked over at the teacher once she was finished, her expression the perfect picture of sweet innocence. "Correct?"

"Ah..." he was staring down into his book. "Yes, that is correct. You may return to your seat, and please try to stay with us for the rest of the lesson."

As Mana walked back to her seat, she heard one of the girls towards to the back whispering loudly to a friend. "What a prissy little know-it-all! Ugh, I can't stand her!"

The other girl snickered. "I know! She's such a little Mary Sue!"

Mana sat down, trying to ignore the way her face was starting to burn. It was that stupid Yuki and her stupid friends again. Mana pulled out her notebook and pretended to take notes, all the while wishing an earthquake would bring the roof down on the heads of the sneering girls. It wasn't like she was like this because she _wanted_ to be, she reminded herself. The teacher droned on, and the blonde let her thoughts drift again, back to Jin, even as her pencil moved without touching the paper. Would he be there when she got home? For his sake, she hoped he would. After all, he wouldn't be able to remove that binding cord on his own...

* * *

As Jin was himself learning at that exact moment. Growling, he yanked at the little scrap of silver. How had she gotten it on him? There were no knots in the thing anywhere, and he couldn't pull it off over his hand, either. And it itched! The more he pulled it, the more it itched! He wanted it off! Jin gave up yanking at the cord and headed for the kitchen. Mana cooked a lot, so there had to be knives here somewhere. He found them secured in a drawer and picked the sharpest looking one. Okay, little cord, let's see who's laughing now!

An hour later, Jin had given up. The cord was the one laughing. The cord was laughing loud and clear. He had no choice but to sit and wait for Mana to get home and take the cord off of him. And he wasn't even sure she'd do that, because he was fairly certain he'd ruined her knife. Thoroughly frustrated, Jin flopped down on the couch, resigning himself to sleeping the afternoon away before he had a better idea. He stood up, and began to look around.

First he examined the room he was in. All he'd seen so far, he'd seen from the couch. That was only about half the room. So he started with what was behind the couch. Over by one of the large windows sat a computer desk. The computer was silent, and there was dust on the screen. Apparently, Mana didn't use it that often. He shuffled the mouse around a bit, but didn't know how to actually turn the computer on, so he let it be. He opened the drawers to the computer desk and rooted around a bit but found nothing of interest there, unless he ever got bored enough to play around with the thumb tacks and paper clips a bit. Next to the desk was a very large, very healthy-looking houseplant. Jin tugged at one of the leaves, wondering if the plant was real. It was. The wind master stared at the chunk of branch that had come off in his hand before looking around for somewhere to hide it. Finally he settled for stuffing it back into the bush and hoping Mana wouldn't notice.

The hallway, Jin decided as he turned away from the plant, could wait until later. On the other side of the room, after all, was a large shelving unit, and he wanted to look at that next. The top half was bookshelves, and they were pretty full. He read a few titles, but nothing seemed really interesting. There was a large collection of graphic novels, but most of it looked like romancy, girl-type stuff. In all, the bookcase was boring. Well, maybe not that boring, the redhead decided as he picked up a graphic novel and idly flipped through it. His eyebrows shot up practically to his hairline. Who knew Harlequin did comic books? He was going to have to re-evaluate his opinion of Mana. Still, the flowery romance was just a bit too _innocent_ to be of interest to him. Jin put it back and turned his attention to the bottom half of the unit. Two large cabinet doors greeted him, and he opened them curiously. Inside was what appeared to be a sound system of some sort, but it also had a little screen on it. Jin knelt down to look, not entirely sure what this piece of technology was, and then he saw the microphone. It clicked. Karaoke machine. Mana had a karaoke machine. Maybe the few magazines he had flipped through in the human world had been educational, after all.

Next to the shelving unit, and this Jin found interesting, was a tall, padded post on a stand, ideal for kicking and punching at, and an old folded-up floor mat. He wondered if Mana used them herself, or if they maybe belonged to her absent father. While he couldn't imagine the girl as the athletic type, it did make sense that she would want to know how to defend herself- detective material in training, she was- so maybe they were hers after all.

He headed down the hall next, noting the washer and dryer at the end of it but eventually heading towards the first door on the left. The room proved to be a nice, tidy bathroom. It was done in shades of white and seafoam green, perfectly coordinated. The towel that hung on the wall was neat and even, and the sink was clean. Most definitely a woman's bathroom, Jin thought with a wrinkled nose. He poked around in the cupboards a while and was surprised to find a wide array of cosmetics. Mana hadn't been wearing make-up the day before, or when she'd left for school that morning. They couldn't be her mother's, though, the woman had been dead for too long. They had to be Mana's. He wondered what she used them for as he picked up a little bottle and opened it. It smelled funny, kind of nice but a little too sharp for his liking. Jin put it away and turned to look around some more, already growing bored again. Big bathtub. Toilet. Toilet paper nice and neat on the wall-mount that people put toilet paper on. Jin reached over and batted at the roll. It spun, and a bit of paper came off, the end landing neatly in the toilet. Well, that certainly didn't go there. He flushed it without bothering to rip the paper off the roll first. That had an entertaining result; the roll on the wall spun faster and faster as the paper was dragged down into the pipes, twisting as it went. Jin flushed the toilet again with much the same result before deciding to move on. He left the toilet paper as it was and turned to examine the tub. It was large and had clawed feet, and overall looked like it would be rather nice for soaking in. On the wall above the tub was a little shelf with a few bottles and a couple of bars of soap, plus a razor and a pumice stone. Girl stuff. Jin picked up a bottle of shampoo and sniffed the contents. It smelled nice, like vanilla. The conditioner was the same. But the bubble bath he checked next smelled like strawberries, as did the soap bars in the little green dish. Vanilla and strawberries. Strawberries and cream? Jin stood there for a moment, thinking about that. It was an interesting combination, scents that were coordinated to smell comforting and sweet. Subconsciously, that could probably be very manipulative...

The next room down the hall proved to be a bedroom... or at least, it _had_ been. There was a bed and a dresser, but they were both buried under boxes. Jin poked through the boxes that weren't taped shut and found small, frilly clothes, stuffed animals, and basically the kinds of things a teenage girl would decide she didn't need any more, but wouldn't want to get rid of, either. In one box he found an old, ratty rag doll with limp wings, and smiled to himself. He could just picture his host, minus ten or so years, hugging the angel to her in bed at night. There was embroidery on the angel's dress, repetitive patterns sewn on by inexperienced hands, and a few beads around the collar. Apparently, Mana had done some experimenting with the old toy. It looked well loved. Jin put the rag angel back in the box and walked over to the dresser. Pulling the drawers open, he found men's clothes. Mana's father's, he figured. They were... boring. Boring slacks and business-type shirts and socks all rolled up. A skeleton wardrobe, then, for someone who didn't need much at home. He pushed the drawers shut again. Boring.

There was just one room left.

Jin stood outside Mana's bedroom, wondering if he should really go in there. Well, why not? It wasn't like he was going to hurt anything. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. It was a bigger room than the other bedroom, with one huge bed pushed up against the wall and an armoire across from that, next to a small vanity table. There was a bookshelf beside the closet, and windows and a door out to the balcony, and a small table on either side of the bed. One table contained a lamp, and the other was covered in little knickknacks. Jin walked over to look at them. There was a little porcelain Dutch girl, and a plaster ballerina, and a couple of anime figures. And... there was a picture frame. Jin picked it up. A woman with deep violet eyes and blonde hair smiled up at him, holding a tiny baby in a pink blanket. She looked like Mana, but the coloring was... different, just a little. Where Mana was just pale, this woman looked robust and healthy, with laughing eyes and rosy cheeks. The eyes that stared up at him from the face of the laughing woman were a vibrant violet, not a pale lavender like her daughter's were... because really, now, who could this woman have been but Mana's mother? She didn't look like she could be more than two or three years older than Mana was now. How old was Mana, anyway? Jin made a mental note to ask as he examined the woman in the picture a moment longer. He flipped the frame over. Jennifer and Mana, age three months, the back read. So the baby _was_ Mana. That meant the woman with the laughing eyes _was_ her mother. Jennifer, hmm? That wasn't a Japanese name. He set the picture down and walked over to the bookshelf. There he found more books and more manga. Apparently the collection in the living room was what wouldn't fit on these very full shelves. He also found another picture of the smiling woman, this time sitting in front of a very serious-looking man with dark hair and eyes and holding a golden-haired toddler in her arms. Jin leaned closer. The man had the same shaped mouth as Mana. Must be her dad, he thought. He checked the back of the picture frame. Jennifer, Daisuke, and Mana, age two, it read. And there was a date on the back of this one. The picture was taken about twelve years ago. So that would put her at what, fourteen? That was a _very_ young kid to be living alone.

Jin walked over and opened one of the drawers in the armoire. And stared. And closed it. And opened it again. And stared some more. Bunnies. Of all the things in her world, Mana's underwear had bunnies on them. At least, that pair did. That pair over there had kitties on it. And that pair had an awful lot of pink lace. Jin decided he was going to have to re-evaluate his opinion of Mana yet again and closed the drawer. Somehow, he didn't feel the need to get acquainted with her wardrobe any more than he just had.

That's not to say that Jin didn't go through the other drawers anyway, though. Despite how much he tried to convince himself that it was a bad idea, he did. Mana had some very nice nightgowns and a cute pair of pajamas with kittens and yarn balls on it. She also had a large collection of cute T-shirts and a few skirts that seemed a little small. Jin pushed the last drawer in, one full of bright, colorful sweaters, and went to the closet to look at the rest of it. School uniforms, dresses, long skirts and nice blouses. But no pants. There hadn't been any in the armoire, either, come to think of it. The girl didn't appear to own a single pair of pants or shorts. That seemed... weird.

Jin wandered back towards the armoire to examine the little vanity table with its big oval mirror. There was a little stool in front of it, so he sat down to look. There was a hairbrush on the table with several golden strands caught in it, a small clock, and a music box. He opened the box and spent a few minutes pawing through the earrings and necklaces therein before he got tired of the tune it played and closed it. Looking around, he then noticed the drawer in the small dresser and pulled it open. There were pencils, a few stray papers, a couple tubes of lipstick and, in the back, a small red book. Jin pulled it out and flipped it open, curious as to why it was in the drawer instead of on the shelf with the other books. He saw why the moment the pages were revealed. The contents of the book were written by hand; the writing was small and tidy in a deliberate sort of way. The wind master raised an eyebrow. Mana kept a diary? A curious glance at the clock told Jin that it was probably a bit too late to sit down and flip through the book. After all, he didn't know how long Mana would be in school; she could come walking in at any moment. Jin replaced the diary and looked around to be sure everything was as he found it before heading back to the living room and through to the kitchen.

It was a small kitchen, but it was clean and it appeared well stocked. Jin raised an eyebrow at the empty sink- Mana must have put the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher before she left- before he opened the refrigerator. It was equally well stocked and clean, and there were a number of small white boxes stacked one on top of the other. Those would be the leftovers he had permission to eat, then. He helped himself to a box of noodles and a box of fried rice, and then some pork and some chicken as well. Mana had never told him where the plates were, so he ate at the counter straight from the boxes with a pair of chopsticks he found rooting around through the drawers. The kitchen was nice, he decided. All of the appliances were lined up neatly by the back wall, as were several containers that appeared to be full of things like flour and sugar and the like. Jin replaced the boxes once he was finished and looked around, trying to decide what to do with the chopsticks, before he just tossed them in the sink where they landed with a small clatter, all alone. Now the demon was bored again, but more than that he was also a little tired. He walked over to the couch to lay down for a nap, satisfied with the day's activities. Maybe tomorrow he could read the diary, find out a little more about Mana...

* * *

It seemed like the school day would never end. Every class dragged on longer than the last one, and the teachers just got more and more boring. Mana tapped at her deck with her pencil, waiting, until _finally_ the last bell rang. It was all she could do not to cheer. She wanted so badly to get home and see if her houseguest was still there or not! Grabbing her bag, she ran for the door...

"Hey, Mana, wait for us!"

Ah, fiznit. Mana slowed to a stop and turned as Sachi and Hachi came running up behind her. "Mana, what is with you? You've been on edge all day!"

Mana shifted the bag on her shoulder. "Oh, have I? I'm just nervous. See, I got a dentist's appointment today, and I haven't been brushing as well as I should have, and Dr. Kanamura is gonna yell at me, I just know it."

"Oh, that's too bad," Hachiko sympathized. Sometimes Mana wondered if the girl was really that naïve, or if she was just amused by how easily Mana tried to lie to them. Her twin, on the other hand, seemed less easy going.

Sachiko stared at her. "A dentist's appointment. On Wednesday." Mana gritted her teeth. The three girls had gone out for ice cream on Wednesday since they were children- and karaoke on Saturday since they started middle school- and there was usually a heavy price to pay for skipping. Oh, well. She'd risk it. The blonde nodded.

"Yeah, I must not have realized it was a Wednesday when I made the appointment. There was a reminder on my answering machine when I got home yesterday, otherwise I would have told you sooner. Anyway, I gotta run or I'm gonna be late."

"Okay," Sachiko looked unconvinced, "But you're buying next Wednesday to make up for it."

"Sure thing," Mana called as she ran out the door.

Sachiko and Hachiko stared after her. Even with her back turned she could still hear them from the hallway. "She is so lying."

"Uh-huh."

Fiznit...

There were three people hanging around outside the door to the apartment house, all of whom she recognized. Mana scowled and headed for the fire escape. Making sure her bag was secure over her shoulder, the blonde girl hoisted herself up onto a trashcan and from there jumped, catching the lowest rung of the drop-down ladder. She hung for a moment before swinging and hoisting herself up with the easy motions of someone who'd been on more than a few parallel bars, silently thanking her mother for the gym classes she'd been forced to attend when she was small. It had taken a lot of practice to do that without cracking her nose on one of the higher rungs, but another hoist and a heave, and Mana scrambled up the ladder to the stairs on the fire escape, up one-two-three more floors, and then it was just a three-foot step across open air to her balcony. She stood for a moment, breathing deeply, and then walked to the glass door into the living room and looked inside. And there was the demon boy, asleep on her couch. Mana vey nearly smiled as she opened the door and slipped inside. It felt good, having this person who needed her to take care of him. Oh, he would get his strength back, and one day she'd come home and he'd be gone, but for now Jin was a secret, her secret. Mana didn't get to have many secrets that at least a few other people couldn't hold over her head. The girl walked over to the side of the couch to look down at him. He was out like a light; he'd probably slept all day. The thin shadow of a smile grew just a little. How _cute_.

Why was there a knife on the coffee table?

Mana blinked and picked up the blade, the phantom smile fading quickly. It was one of her good cooking knives, and it looked like it had been through the ringer. So that's why he's out of it, she thought. Tried to cut the cord. Fighting that thing for a while would make anyone tired. Mana put the knife away, and then went to the refrigerator for a snack. Chow mien sounded good. She picked up the box and stopped. It was awfully light, light enough that for a moment it felt empty. She opened it and sighed to herself at the contents. There was maybe a half a cup of the dish left. On a hunch, she checked the other boxes of Chinese food- they were near empty, too. Mana looked over at the demon on her couch. Well, at least he was eating... a lot... Mana finished off the chow mien before heading into the spare bedroom and looking around, a new idea forming in her head. The room had barely been used for three years, but it would do. She just needed to move some of these boxes first...

* * *

Jin smelled food when he woke up. Not the kind of smelling food where you take a sniff and someone is cooking in the general vicinity, but the kind of smelling food where you fall asleep in your plate. Not that he wanted to think about how he knew that, but the point was there. He opened his eyes; Mana was kneeling by the couch, waving a plate next to his nose, coaxing him gently. "Come on, wake up and eat."

He stared at her. "When did ya get home," he asked as he took the plate, examining it curiously. Tonight's meal was steak teriyaki and salad and rice. Could the girl's cooking get any more Asian?

"I've been here a few hours now." The girl rocked back on her heels and picked up her own plate. "You sleep like the dead, you know that? You didn't even notice when I changed your bandages. I tried to wake you up for a whole hour before I gave up and made do with pushing you around."

Jin mumbled a vague 'sorry' around a mouthful of meat. Mana took a bite, chewed carefully, and swallowed before speaking again. "I fixed a new place for you to sleep while you're here."

Father's room, Jin figured while he ate, but he said nothing. He doubted his hostess would be so nice if she knew he'd gone through her whole house. Granted, he wasn't sure what else she would have expected, but still...

"See, there's a second bedroom in this apartment, for my father, but since he's not here to use it I thought you could. It'd be more comfortable than staying out here, and I wouldn't bother you when I'm cleaning or doing my homework. If that's okay with you, of course. I'm really starting to miss my couch."

Was that supposed to be a joke? "'At's fine with me," Jin assured her before gulping down more of the beef and starting in on the salad. Mana stared at him a moment before going back to her own meal. They ate in silence- as silent as he could be gulping down everything on the plate, anyway- and Jin finished his food first. He looked over at Mana. "Em..."

She looked up at him, reaching for a folded napkin before she spoke, and he felt just a little bit chagrinned about eating the way he had when she was so tidy and polite. "Yes?"

Jin held up the empty plate with a sheepish grin. "Is 'ere any more where 'at came from, by any chance?"

Lying in his new bed that night, Jin heard her coughing again. He lay there for a moment, fingering the cord around his wrist, before he decided that there was nothing he could do about it. The little human girl was sick somehow, but she worked... contentedly, if not cheerfully... and seemed to have the coughing pretty well contained. If she didn't want to bring up whatever was wrong with her, he wouldn't pressure her about it. And if it was something really, terribly wrong, well, she probably would have mentioned it a time or two in the diary and he could decide what to do from there. Honestly it was probably rather rude to read the book, he knew, but she was a complete stranger and he did need to know what he was up against. It wouldn't be the first secrets he'd stolen over the years, at the very least. He rolled over onto his side and stared at the wall, waiting for the coughing to stop. Finally, after several minutes of counting quietly in his head, there was silence. Jin fell asleep.


	3. Women are stubborn

* * *

Yes, there is a reason as to why this story is being updated after over two years. Simply put, ya'all can go blame my fiance and my sister. The tale goes as follows:

Lately, my life has been one big spin on the tilt-a-whirl of life. One of the few plus-sides to this spin is Ray, my fiance. I got to see him over the holidays; he came to visit me in Oregon where I'm living for a while. Since he was packing light, he opted to get me something once he got here. That something ended up being a DVD set of an old favorite of mine; the uncut first season of Yu Yu Hakusho. Well, that got me back into the series, and before I knew it I was digging out my old cards and blowing the dust off of a few chapters to reminisce over. Ray read them and, to my surprise, liked them enough to encourage me to start working on them again. Please note, I hate picking a story back up after a long time; the first two chapters seemed like crap! So, desperate for excuses, I told him that I couldn't rework the story until I had seasons two and four, the seasons that contain the characters I like the most. He was understanding. And then I stupidly mentioned this need for those two seasons in passing to my sister and guess what the brat got me. And boom. There went my excuse.

I love you both dearly, but you both drive me insane sometimes.

So, my excuses effectively dead, I set to work staring vacantly at Kaze no Fantasia and asking myself, how can I recommit to a story when my writing style has changed to the point that it's painful to look at my original chapters? A re-write was in order, so I polished up what had already been there before, added some meat to the paragraphs, and rearranged a few scenes that had originally just sort of ticked me off. I then updated the original two posted chapters- they're up that way now- and settled in to check over what I'd had of chapter three. Turns out chapter three was actually a chapter and a half- whoa- so I broke it down, polished up three- you're reading it- and now I get to complete chapter four. Whew!

And all because I know a couple of people who are a little too encouraging of my abilities, bless their hearts...

In a note of totally related cuteness, Ray now feels that my sister has one-upped his gift, and is getting me the third season and the one movie I don't have in order to get back on top of the game. I, personally, look forward to the Jin cellphone dangle he's already ordered me from Ebay. It makes me happy! Although I need to stop linking him to things for the "OMGIT'SSOCUTE" value. I'm letting him spoil me...

As for my other stories, they're rather on hold right now because frankly, I need to laugh. And the fact of the matter is, when I set Kaze no Fantasia aside to work on Anomaly... I didn't exactly expect Anomaly to be that freaking _long_! I had always intended to get back to this story someday. I guess that someday ended up being right now!

So let's go!

I will come up with a better catchphrase, I swear...

* * *

Mana was an interesting person to deal with first thing in the morning.

Jin hadn't meant to scare her, he really hadn't. He'd gotten up and gone to see if there was any breakfast yet, and there was Mana, standing over the stove. Curious, he'd gone to look over her shoulder to see what she was cooking. He thought she would know he was there- she had before, after all- but apparently she didn't. At least, she didn't until she backed right up into him and totally freaked out.

And that was how Jin wound up getting smacked over the head with a wooden spoon more times than he cared to try and count. It was also how he ended up receiving a threatening growl with his breakfast several minutes later. "Don't ever, ever, _ever_ sneak up on me like that again!"

"Ah said ah was sorry," Jin mumbled over the plate of eggs and sausage. The sound of his voice only made the girl narrow her eyes; he decided it was high time he tried making an effort to speak a little more clearly. "'Sides, I didn't sneak. Ya had plenty of time to notice me." Well, it wasn't the best he could do, but it was a start. Mana snorted lightly.

"Just because I had a chance to notice you doesn't mean I'm going to. It's rude to sneak!"

"Ya sure noticed when I woke up the other day." Oh, good, he had control over a few more words now. As futile as Jin knew it was to try to hide his accent completely, he did like to try to be understandable to the people around him at the very least. Well, when he remembered to try at all he did...

Mana sat across from him, grumbling slightly as she picked up her plate. "That's because I saw your reflection in the toaster."

"Oh..." Jin had just figured she was really in tune with her surroundings. He watched her eat for a moment, amused by the dainty bites she took, before tackling his own meal himself. This made how many meals they'd shared together in the past couple of days? About four, he realized once he'd given it some thought. They'd had two breakfasts and two dinners together. The human seemed thankful to have someone to eat with. He wondered if she was lonelier than she wanted to admit.

Finally the blonde girl sat down an empty plate. "Listen, I've got school today, but first I want to change your bandages again, okay? It's not exactly easy to do when you're asleep, so right now may be the best chance I get today."

Jin stared. She was a _bold_ little human! "Ahright."

At the very least, he decided a few minutes later, Mana had gentle hands. Jin sat working on his breakfast while she pulled off the old bandages and examined his stomach. "Hmmm... Well, that's interesting."

"Wot's interesting." The wind master frowned, trying to see his own stomach a little more clearly. It didn't work well when there was a blonde head in the way...

"Nothing." Mana pulled a little jar out of the basket she'd gotten from the end of the couch. Humming as she took off the lid- that song was going to be stuck in his head for _weeks_ when he went home!- she dipped her fingers into the gel and spread some over the wound. Jin jumped slightly.

"Eh! That's cold!"

The healer girl's mouth quirked. "Sorry. This stuff is always freezing, no matter what the temperature in the room is. There's nothing I can do about it." She prodded his stomach gently a few inches above the wound. "Does this hurt?"

Jin fought the urge to squirm. "No. That just tickles."

Her hands moved down, drifting an inch or so before she tried again. "Now?"

"No... that still just tickles..." The apparition shifted uncomfortably. He had a sour feeling that he knew where this was going.

Mana pressed directly above the gash. "How about now?"

"Ow! That hurts, that hurts!" Jin scowled, jerking backwards. "Wot did ya hafta do that for?"

"Just checking something." Mana replied casually as she applied a bit more of the cool gel to his stomach and started bandaging him up again. He would have sworn she was smirking slightly if he hadn't already taken note of the fact that the human barely even smiled at all. Well, at least her hands were still gentle. "The good news is that your wound is healing. The bad news is that it's not healing very much. It's closed, but barely. Anything too strenuous could cause it to open again, so you need to take it easy."

The redhead nodded as he picked up the ever-present bowl of rice. That was something else he'd noticed; Mana ate rice at every single meal. He wondered why, to be quite honest. It was kind of boring. Ah, well, food was food and he would take what he could get. The blonde got up and started packing for school, leaving him to his meal, and it was several moments before she spoke again. "By the way."

"Hrng?" Jin looked up at her around a mouthful of food. As polite as she was, he doubted she would appreciate him trying to speak with his mouth full.

"Try to stay out of things today, please?" Jin froze up, just staring. Mana looked over at him. "My shampoo and conditioner were switched this morning, some of the boxes in my father's room had been opened and left that way, and the contents of one of my drawers were all mixed up." Gulp. And then Mana held up a red book. "And I'm taking this with me, so don't even bother."

Damn, there went his chance to actually learn something about her. "Eh... sorry?"

Mana shrugged and went back to getting ready for school. Jin watched her work, musing over the fact that she caught on to a few misplaced items in her home but failed to notice him when he was standing right behind her. He wasn't quite sure what to think of her observational skills. It was only after several moments of pondering that he realized she was speaking to him again.

"-curious, for that matter. But a girl does need some privacy, you know? If you really need something to do, you could always try reading a book. I have plenty, you're sure to find _something_ interesting."

It was probably better to just pretend he had been listening. "Yeah, ahright."

Mana set her backpack by the door and disappeared to her room. He waited, curious, until she returned with a small duffel bag slung over her shoulder. "I've got karate lessons after school today, so I'll be a bit late getting home. There's still a bit of Chinese food left you can eat, and leftovers from last night in the yellow container in the fridge if those run out. If you need some fresh air there's a swing out on the balcony. It would probably do you some good to sit outside for a while. Just..." Mana paused as if searching for something to say and Jin looked her over carefully. Was she a bit _paler_ than she had been the day before? "Don't do anything weird that would get you noticed, okay?"

The way she was speaking to him was starting to remind him of how a person would talk to an animal or a child. "Like wot?"

Mana shrugged as she packed her lunch, clearly only devoting half her attention to the conversation. Jin watched her face carefully; she _was_ a bit whiter than before. "I don't know, like spitting over the edge or anything."

Jin tilted his head. "Why would I want to do that?"

There was another shrug. "I don't know. All I know is, whenever the boys at my school get really high up, like on a bridge or a rooftop, they do crazy things like spit over the edge to see who can get the best distance and what they can land on."

That sounded like a nice opening to tease. "That sounds fun."

"Don't you dare. I have to live in this neighborhood." A bottle of water went into the duffel bag and Mana zipped it shut. Jin watched her carefully. Her hand had been shaking slightly as she tugged the zipper, making faint vibrations in the weakening air patterns around her. She looked like she was really getting sick. Mana slung her backpack over her shoulder, picked up the duffel, and gave him a vague smile and a small wave. "See you later."

He waved back, just as he had the day before, and she left. Jin sat for a moment before setting down his plate getting up to explore the balcony. Not much there, just the swing she'd mentioned and a waist-high wall. He walked over and looked out at the city. The balcony overlooked the space between this apartment building and the next, but if he looked to the right, he could see the busy city and watch people walk down the street. If he looked straight down, he could count balconies below him. He was on the fourth story. There were no levels above him.

Jin looked back out over the city, and then decided why not? He leaned over the railing and spit.

* * *

Mana almost passed out in PE that day. They sent her to the infirmary to lie down for a while, innocently believing her vague claim of anemia, and her head had hardly hit the pillow on the uncomfortable cot when Sachi and Hachi came running in. "Mana!" Oh, damn...

"Hey, guys..." Ah, fiznit. As much as she loved the twins, they were the _last_ two people she wanted to see right now.

"Mana, what's going on?" Hachiko was virtually wailing. She ran over to the bed, thankfully dropping her voice before she continued. "You're never like this unless you're on a job! Why didn't you tell us?"

Ugh, they were persistent. "It's not a job," Mana mumbled. "I promise, it's not a job."

"Lemme guess." Sachi flopped into the chair by the cot Mana was lying in. "The idiots from the college again, right? Got caught in a mob of them, I bet."

"Sort of..."

The more aggressive twin picked up a textbook someone had left behind. "Lying little twit, aren't you." The blonde backed away a bit, startled, as her black-eyed friend shot a glare at her. "You're lying about what's going on, same as you lied about your little appointment yesterday."

Mana fought the urge to flinch, instead keeping her focus steady on the other girl's eyes. "And why would you say that?"

"We watched you leave the gates, Mana. The dentist's office is that way. South." A pointed finger demonstrated as Sachiko's eyes narrowed. "You went that way. North. Towards your house."

Mana leaned back against the pillow, feeling an intense relief. They hadn't followed her; Sachi was trying to trick her into an admission. That was easy to dance around. "There're a lot of places north of here, aside from my house. I could have gone anywhere, really. Like to the nearest bus stop, maybe?" She tapped her fingers on the thin sheet irritably. "I was running late, I told you that. To be honest, you didn't help much. It was a choice between catching the bus or loosing a lung trying to run fast enough to make my appointment. The bus seemed easier."

She saw Sachiko wince, chagrinned. Mana forced herself to keep a stern face; even though one friend seemed to have bought it, the other still might not be convinced...

"But why are you so weak? The other students are saying you just collapsed!" Hachi's eyes were wide and concerned. She seemed less worried about the possibility of a case than she was about Mana's health. Mana wasn't sure if that was good or bad; the last time she'd had a cold, Hachi had dropped by unannounced to make soup. Mana waved her hand in a dismissing manner.

"I've been a bit anemic lately, okay?"

"Are you sure? Is that really all?" Hachi sat on the edge of the small bed. "Mana, you promised you'd tell us when you were on the job. Are you or aren't you?"

Mana sighed. At least she didn't have to lie, exactly, on this one. "I'm not on a job, Hachiko. I promise..."

Karate that afternoon was even worse. Normally sparring matches were pretty straightforward. Mana enjoyed being able to think on her feet; she wasn't too powerful, but she was fast enough to get in the hits that counted and fast enough to guard herself afterwards... usually. But the surprise kick to the stomach, with her constitution already weakened, was enough to send her to the bathroom to vomit. Her sensei sent her right to the bench when she got back to class, and approached her afterwards to ask if there was anything that she wanted to 'talk about.' She assured him that there wasn't- he was nice, if not a bit naïve- and left class tired, sore, and still a bit nauseated. Karate accidents and school lunches _didn't_ mix.

She stopped for dinner on the way home. Take-out sounded easier than cooking at the moment, especially since she was now cooking full meals for two. When she got to her building she didn't bother with the fire escape; she'd never make it up on her own. She took the service elevator at the back of the building, the slight swaying motion making her tremble slightly. She unlocked her door and stepped inside, dropping her bags where she stood, and the dinner she set on the counter. She needed air; the apartment was too stuffy, she couldn't breathe. Mana headed out to the balcony. She needed a nice breeze right now. She would sit on the swing.

The swing was already occupied, and the occupant was asleep. Mana stood and stared at Jin for a while. There was an almost comical expression on his face, and she imagined he must have been having good dreams. How nice for him. She studied him a little longer. The demon boy was so alive, so full of energy... so lucky... she was so _hungry_! She reached over, brushing the seal around his wrist. Was that what the problem was? Had she miscalculated somehow? _No_. If he'd just come through to her would, he would have had to pass through the barrier between realms. And she could handle anything that was weak enough to pass through that barrier. She was just... tired. That was all. She was tired.

Mana went back inside and forced herself to sit down for her homework. She needed to stay awake that long, at least, before she could take a nap. She needed a nap...

* * *

The human girl was focused on her schoolwork when Jin woke up towards twilight. He stood in the doorway for a while, watching her pour over her books, before he spoke. "Ya must really like school."

"No, not really." Mana's voice was weary, and she didn't look up at him. "There's take-out on the counter, if you're hungry. I'm too tired to cook tonight."

"M'kay." Jin found two untouched meals on the counter. He picked one and sat down at the couch to eat it, watching the girl the whole time. She looked like a mess. "Ya had a rough day, huh?"

There was a small nod from the blonde head. "Yeah, well, you know. PE and self-defense on the same day and all. Makes a girl tired."

That wasn't it. He knew better. The girl's condition had been gradually worsening the entire short time he'd known her. Jin wondered vaguely if the people close to her bought those stories. He finished eating and, on a whim, walked over to the table and sat across from her.

Mana didn't even look up. "Do you need something?"

"Nothin' really." Jin leaned across the table to see what she was working on. The girl was pouring over mathematics out of a textbook with sleek, shiny pages. There was a calculator by Mana's elbow, and occasionally she clicked away at it as she wrote out the problems by hand. "Looks downright boring, that does."

"It is." Mana finished the problem she was on and slammed the book shut. "Honestly, I think I'm done for right now."

"Done wit' everything?" Jin watched her expression carefully. Mana was weak, weary... and not hiding it very well. Her eyes met his for a moment before she looked away.

"Yeah..." She pushed back from the table. "I'm done. Excuse me... I need to soak..."

He'd already gone to his room before she even got out of the tub. He heard her footsteps in the hall as she headed into her room, and then there was a long silence. Jin lay on his bed, waiting. And at around eleven, as sure as clockwork, the coughing began again.

The wind master got up silently and pulled his door open. He'd had it unlatched and ready. He headed for the kitchen first, getting a glass from the cabinet over the sink and filling it with cold water from the refrigerator. Then he went back to the hall. He stood outside Mana's door for a moment before pushing it open. There she was, sitting on her knees on her bed, coughing blood into her little bucket. He stepped inside cautiously, but she didn't make any response- probably didn't even know he was there. Frowning, Jin waited for a break in the coughing. After a moment the dull sounds subsided, and he walked over to the bed. "Here."

The human's head snapped around, and Jin was startled by how violently wide the pale eyes appeared on the pale face. He'd scared her good this time. Mana stared at him, uncertainty written on every line of her features. It was painfully clear that she didn't trust him just then. He held up the glass anyway. "Ya need to drink. It's not good, coughin' blood like that without a bit of water."

Shaking hands accepted the glass without looking at it. Mana's eyes never left his as she sipped at it cautiously. Jin sat down on the edge of the bed. "Wot's-"

He was cut of by more coughing. Reaching over, the demon patted the girl lightly on the back. "Easy, now. It's not nice to interrupt when people are talking, ya know." The little detective shrank away from his touch, her eyes meeting his again. Now, with her weakness this visible, she finally seemed afraid of him. "Wot's wrong with ya, Mana? I've heard ya doin' this every night since I got here. Are ya sick?"

The girl looked away from him. "Not... not exactly."

"Then wot's wrong with ya?"

"It's nothing."

Jin frowned. "I'm not stupid, Mana. Ya been coughin' like this every night. Wot's wrong with ya?" She shrank even further from him, like she was trying to hide, but he wasn't going to let her get away now. Reaching forward, he took hold of her forearm. "Wot's wrong?"

"It's a birth defect, alright?" Even angered, her voice was quiet. Or was it frustration he was hearing? "Or maybe it is a sickness, I don't know. I've been like this my whole life."

"Wot's it about, then?"

"I..." The girl's fingers tightened around the glass. "When I use my reiki, I don't regenerate it like normal people do. It comes back really, really slowly. Sometimes I don't regain enough energy to keep up with what I put out, and I get sick..."

She fell to another bout of coughing then, and Jin let go of her arm to pat her back again until it subsided. "Wot have ya been using yer energy on, then, that ya can't gain it back fast enough?" Mana said nothing, but her eyes inadvertently traveled to the cord on his wrist. Jin followed her gaze. "This? This is wot's making ya sick?"

"Not just that," the girl said as she raised the glass to drink. The wind demon wasn't even half convinced as she drained the water and set the empty glass by the lamp on the little table closest to her. "It's a lot of things. It's not just that." She fell over on her side, the mattress bouncing a little beneath her. Her back was to him, but he could still see part of her face.

"But it's mostly this, isn't it." Silence was his only answer. Jin tried again. "If it's makin' ya sick, ya gotta get rid of it."

"I can't do that..."

"Ya can, too."

"I don't know you..."

Jin stared at her. Was this girl really that brave, or was she just dense? "The way I see it, Mana, that don't matter for much. If I wanted to hurt ya, this wouldn't stop me. I'm twice your size, and ya can't fight back that weak."

"I can still fight. Believe me, I can still fight."

He raised an eyebrow at that before reaching over to seize one of the girl's arms. Mana tensed as Jin wrapped his fingers around her wrist, noting for a moment just how thin it was- his fingers overlapped his thumb around it by a good bit- before he gave it a good squeeze. The girl tried in vain to pull away, a soft whimper escaping her as he squeezed tighter. Jin pulled her towards him, capturing the other wrist and looking her straight in the eyes. "But could ya win?"

There was a brief silence, followed by a one-word reply. "Compelling."

Was she really that mistrusting all of a sudden? Jin let go of her arms and picked at the cord, trying to pull it off over his hand in vain. Mana shifted uncomfortably. "Please don't..."

"Eh?"

"Don't try to remove it."

"I gotta if it's making ya sick."

"No, you don't. I'll be fine. I've gotten a lot lower than this before and been fine." There was a weary edge to the pleading. Jin sighed.

"If ya say so. But Mana, one way or another ya gotta take this off sooner or later. Ya can't keep it there, not if it leaves ya to feel this bad. If ya really don't trust me, I can always go somewhere else. It's not worth killin' yerself for." There was no response. Jin leaned over to look at the girl's face and saw that in the brief moments it had taken him to answer her, she'd fallen asleep. He stared at her for a moment before reaching to the foot of the bed, where the covers lay in a rumpled heap, and pulled the blankets over the girl, tucking them around her and marveling over how stubborn she was. Was that a normal trait in human females, or was it just Mana? Getting up to turn off the lamp, Jin paused. Right now the girl was weak, vulnerable, in pain. As much as it was none of his business, he didn't want to leave her alone that way. With a sigh, the redhead crossed the room to settle into the chair at the vanity. Why had the girl taken him in if it was going to be this much trouble in the first place?

* * *

It had really disconcerted her to wake up and find Jin still in her room. He'd drifted off sprawled over the vanity table, using his arms as a headrest. Mana stared at him for a while before getting up and getting ready for school. She left some breakfast on the table for him, but didn't wake him before she left. She didn't want to talk to him just then.

The girl skipped PE that day. She told the teacher, quite honestly, that she didn't feel good, and he let her sit it out. Mana wasn't surprised that he'd believed her; the teachers always did. She was one of the good students, after all. Sweet, smart little Mana with her rich daddy and no mama, who worked hard and did her schooling diligently, so of course she'd be a success and then the school would look good.

She packed her messenger bag and headed up to the roof. It sounded like a nice place to go right then; Sachiko and Hachiko had yet to find her there. There was always a good breeze up on the roof, maybe it could give her an idea about what to do next. Sachiko and Hachiko wouldn't think to look for her on the roof.

She forgot completely who else hung out on the roof.

"What's one of the good students doing up here?" Mana winced. Apparently he'd seen her before she'd seen him. Damn it all... "I thought they were all in class where they belonged."

Mana scowled briefly before turning to Yusuke Urameshi, a local punk and, much to Mana's chagrin, a fellow aide to the spirit world... one who, and she was loathsome to admit it, outranked her completely. "I happen to be sitting out from PE today," she informed him tartly. "I didn't feel like attending. Of course, the teachers don't mind giving a straight-A student a break once in a while."

Yusuke looked her over appraisingly. "You look like shit."

This was why Mana hated Yusuke Urameshi. He was always like that, snide and condescending. He said whatever he felt like, whether there was any truth in it or not. He was a delinquent and a rogue and the only reason he probably even came to school was because the roof had a nice view; he spent more time there than in class. Mana didn't feel even the least bit bad about holding a fellow detective in such low regard, either, because she knew Yusuke couldn't stand her any more than she could stand him. They'd been sent on one mission together so far, just one, and by the end of it he'd pretty much told her everything he thought of her abilities. Useless, he'd called her, and the jerk had based it solely on the fact that she lacked the same offensive capabilities that he had. Actually, it hadn't been just Yusuke she couldn't stand. His demon friend Hiei had been even worse, insulting Mana the whole way and then swearing to Botan that if she ever made him 'baby-sit' like that again, he'd cut her up and feed her to the demon hoards. And Kazuma Kuwabara, another human and fellow student, had been rude in a completely different manner, treating Mana like she would break if something touched her. She was small, but she was not fragile! Only green-eyed Kurama had been tolerable by Mana's standards, and that was mostly because he didn't really say anything. He'd treated Mana with a quiet indifference, sort of a you-leave-me-alone-I-won't-laugh-at-the-fact-that-you-just-slipped-in-that-puddle attitude. The others had definitely laughed at the puddle...

Remembering it was enough to make her angry again, so Mana didn't dignify Yusuke with an answer; she just walked over to look out over the school instead. The air was nice where she was standing. It was the kind of wind that promised good things, but only if she was patient enough to wait for them just a little bit longer. Mana sighed. Good things. Right. Well, the wind had never lied before. Mana let herself get lost to time, trying to come up with a plan. There had to be a reason she was being drained this fast. For a moment, she wondered if she shouldn't ask Yusuke if she could speak to Kurama... but no. She had to figure this out herself.

Unaware as she wanted to be, Mana heard the bell ring, and saw her classmates trudging back inside. She watched them for a little while, and then headed over and sat down a few yards from Yusuke. He stared at her, but she made it a deliberate point not to look at him. She did _not_ want to get caught in some petty staring contest. Instead, she dug through her bag for her diary and a pen. She'd had some interesting thoughts while she'd been standing there, and she wanted to write them down while they were still fresh. That was always a good way to do it; write down what she had come up with and then see where her ideas went from there. She opened to the first blank page, wrote the date, and started scribbling the different thoughts and emotions running through her...

Only to stop and clap the book shut when she realized Yusuke had stood and was looking her way, trying to see what she was writing. "Damn it, leave me alone!"

"You keep a diary?" Distaste and disbelief were both evident in the way he spoke. Mana gritted her teeth.

"Yes, I do! So what?"

There was a rather loud snort. "Shouldn't you be going back to class? PE is over."

"I don't feel like it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd rather like to write a few things down." Mana picked up her bag and rose, moving clear to the other side of the roof. She stayed there until school ended and the other students went home before starting back to her apartment, blissfully alone... only to stop short at the fire escape where Sachi and Hachi were waiting expectantly for her. Her heart leapt practically to her chest. "Ah... hi."

Sachiko didn't bother saying hello back. "Where'd you disappear to today?"

"Someplace quiet where I could think." Mana shifted slightly, mentally uttering every curse word she knew. Sachi's hands were on her hips again.

"And why couldn't you let us know where you were instead of letting us worry all day?"

"Sachi..." Hachiko looked uncomfortable. Mana sighed.

"If I told you where I went, it would no longer qualify as a quiet place, would it? I'd never be able to go there again without you turning up, and sometimes I just need my peace."

To Mana's shock, the girl didn't even argue. In fact, she only shrugged. "I guess not. Well, come on, let's get inside. I'm thirsty." And Sachiko moved to climb the trashcan and make the jump for the fire escape.

"NO!" Without even thinking, Mana grabbed the twin by the arm and yanked her back. Sachiko's eyes lit up in a decidedly devious manner, and Mana knew she was sunk. Hachi just sighed.

"Sorry, Mana, but you can't fool everybody."

Aw, fiznit.

* * *

Jin probably wouldn't have heard the cry of 'no' had he not opened the balcony door to let some air into the stuffy apartment. He frowned, setting down the book he'd been shuffling through, and headed outside. It wasn't as though he'd found much on the shelves to interest him yet anyway. Jin eyed the edge of the balcony curiously. That had sounded like Mana, although it had been louder than anything he'd heard her saying before. A peek over the side revealed the healer down on the ground below, cornered by a raven-haired girl. A second girl, identical to the first stranger, stood by quietly as the other two had a very agitated conversation that involved much hand and arm waving. Finally, Mana slumped against a trashcan in seeming defeat and there was a quieter period of conversation, until a sudden shout reached him from the depths

"You did what?!?"

Jin raised an eyebrow. Well, now, it sounded like his little hostess had found herself in a bit of trouble. He stepped back from the edge, settling onto the seat behind him. There was no point in wondering if he was involved in any way. If he was then he'd find out soon enough...


	4. Hunger Issues

Well, here we go with another chapter, this one with a story behind it the same as the rest of this fic. Here goes:

I did not grow up in a household where fanfiction was regarded kindly. My grandmother thought it was useless drivel, so to speak, and frowned on me for writing stupid, childish stories when I could have been doing better things with my time. This is the same woman who would always tell me to get a life when I said I wanted to go visit my friends to play cards. Go figure. Anyway, my fanfiction writing... and my writing in general... were rather frowned upon in that household. And then I moved in with my dear mother. My mother who, like so many of us, dearly enjoys spending a quiet afternoon reading the works of other writers and laughing at her favorite characters. What my mother does NOT enjoy are authors who take forever to update. I learned that today. For the past few days, Mum darling has been asking me how my story was going. Two days ago I stupidly commented that I could possibly even have it done by Saturday.

The woman held me to it.

For the past... oh... four hours or so... I've been sitting here with Carmen literally getting up to look over my shoulder to be sure I was still writing. She snapped at my fiance (playfully) every time he tried to call me. She refused to let me be distracted. It has been an _interesting_ experience. I'm not used to my family (save for my sister) being THAT supportive of my work... or that demanding. I figure the least she can do now is actually sit down and read it. But I think I'll wait until tomorrow to suggest it...

Mom, I love you, but you are a strange, strange individual. And I thank you, with all of my heart, for finally giving me the kind of in-home encouragement I've always wanted.

So! On the last chapter I left ya'all with... well, kind of a cliffhanger. Today we get to see what happens when we throw the twins into the mix even more than we already have. Sachiko is a very outgoing individual, but somehow I think it's her quieter twin that pulls most of the strings. Scary...

Either way, thank you everyone who reviewed, and to all the people who favorited the story I give my thanks as well. I always like getting reviews from my readers, but I know that for some people it's a bit of a hastle, so I'm thankful to each and every one of you who at least found some small way to acknowledge my work. It makes me feel good to know that people are out there reading, and every new message in my inbox makes me a very happy girl, be it a review or a favorites notification. Well, enough babbling from me. I think we all want to get on to the story now.

So let's go!

Ah, what can I say, my tag is my tag...

* * *

"You did what?!?"

Mana recoiled slightly as her friend stood there practically shaking. There weren't many things that scared her, but Sachiko angry definitely made the list of things that could make her take a few steps back. The blonde stood her ground, more from the trash can behind her than from anything else. "I didn't have a choice. I couldn't just leave him."

"You did too have a choice! Whatever happened to those things you communicate with Botan through, you could have told her! Or you could have gone to Urameshi, if you couldn't reach Botan!"

"I will not go to Urameshi for help, ever," Mana hissed, and this time Sachiko stepped back. She'd entered raw territory, and she knew it. Hachiko sat silently against the wall, staying out of it. Sachi angry was bad, but Mana angry could be worse, and she'd just as soon have neither one mad at _her_. Mana took a step forward, approaching the bolder of the two sisters. "I did what I had to, Sachiko. He was badly injured in the middle of a public street. Leaving him would have been irresponsible both with regards to the people around him, who had no idea what they were walking past, and with regards to his wounds, which needed immediate tending. He needed a healer and a place to stay, not a damned inquisition, and that's all they would have given him; questions, questions, and more questions."

Mana advanced further, and Sachiko continued her retreat silently as the healer kept talking. "I was not being reckless in my decision. I made sure the proper steps were taken to ensure my own safety. He's sitting up in that apartment with his powers completely bound up inside him. Making the seal was the first thing I did. I also took care after he first awakened, keeping him as drowsy as I could until I was positive that he wouldn't become violent at the first chance. I watched him like a hawk until I was certain, absolutely certain, that he had no intentions to harming me. And he won't, you know. Not right now. Because I still have his power in check, and he knows he needs me to remove the seal. But you, on the other hand," Mana looked Sachiko in the eye. "I have no idea how he'd react to you. Who knows? He just might turn violent like you seem to think he will." Which was a complete untruth, Mana was sure of it, but it seemed to do the trick anyway. Sachiko nodded, pale in the face, and Hachiko finally piped up.

"What if you talked to him first," she asked quietly, "then could we meet him? Because Mana, I don't like it either."

Mana chewed her bottom lip for a moment before answering. "Give me ten minutes. After ten minutes, go upstairs and knock on my front door, and I'll talk to you then."

* * *

Jin was still sitting on the balcony, waiting for what was next, when he heard someone clambering up the metal fire escape. Mana appeared momentarily, looking surprised, at the least, to see him. "You're awake."

"Yeah, I'm up. Wot's goin' on?"

"Well..." She hopped from the escape to the balcony, landing shakily before she toed at the floor. "I have a couple of friends... they're kinda mad at me right now... Something about not bringing strange non-humans into my house, you know?" He watched her fidget, amused. "Listen, if they come up here, can you be nice and stuff so they don't think you're going to turn psycho and eat me or something?"

Jin decided it would be fun to tease her a bit. "Aw, now why would I want to go and do somethin' like that?"

Mana's eyes grew wide. "You've got to! Please? If they think you're a threat, they'll snitch on me, they can, and then we'll both be in trouble!"

"Ya mean ya'd be the one in trouble. I'd be long gone." Mana's eyes got even wider, until he could see the whites around the pupils clearly. Jin stared at her a minute before starting to laugh. "Oh, come on! Yer not actually buyin' that, are ya?"

Mana's fist clenched, and for a moment she appeared to be eyeing his stomach, but then her tone became pleading again. "That isn't funny at all, Jin! Please, please will you talk to them and behave? Please?"

The redhead sighed. She was too emotional; picking on her didn't ever stay fun for long. "Yeah, I guess I kin do that..." Mana nodded, then stared at him almost intently for a moment before jumping to her feet "Ey! Where ya goin'?" Mana didn't answer, instead running inside. She returned a few minutes later with a knit hat that she shoved onto his head rather hard. The girl then sat back and studied him before nodding, satisfied. Jin stared. "Em... wot's at for?"

"Maybe if that horn isn't showing, they'll have a harder time thinking of you as not being human." Mana studied him again, and frowned. "You wouldn't object to maybe putting a shirt on, too, would you?"

Jin stared at her. When she asked the question like _that_, after slamming this thing down over his hair, he just _had_ to make things difficult. "Yes."

* * *

They were still arguing about the shirt when Sachiko and Hachiko knocked on the door. Mana jumped, pleaded a final 'please behave' at the demon, and ran to answer the door. Jin sat and looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language and he didn't understand her the teeniest bit. It wasn't comforting.

Also not comforting was that Sachiko had a look on her face like she was ready for the warpath. The girl pushed past without waiting for permission. "So where is he?"

"On the balcony. He seems to like it out there, and-" Mana didn't get to finish. Sachi had already pushed past her.

Hachi moseyed towards the kitchen. The blonde stared at her, but the girl only shrugged. "I'm just along for the ride. Can I have a drink?"

"You know you can," Mana muttered softly, heading for the kitchen. It was easy enough to mix up a pitcher of instant iced tea as they waited for some sound from outside. Mana shifted uncomfortably.

"Will you at least LOOK at me, damn it?" Sachi's voice broke the silence outside. Mana cringed lightly; the demon couldn't be playing games right now, he just couldn't...

The reply was far too cheerful for her liking. "Wot? Oh, 'ello, didn't see ya there."

Oh, yeah, he was playing games. Mana groaned. "Stupid, stupid, stupid..."

"Which one?" Hachiko looked mildly entertained as her blonde friend hid her face behind her hands and shook her head. "He talks a little funny..."

"I know... I've never asked..." From behind her fingers, she could see Hachi looking at her curiously.

"What haven't you asked?"

"Ah... Anything." Mana tilted a head towards the fresh silence. It worried her. It worried her a lot. Hachiko got up to peek outside. Sachi spoke up again just as her twin reached the door.

"Are you just going to sit there and ignore me?"

"I was waitin' for ya to say 'ello back." Mana groaned and flopped against the couch in defeat. It was going to be a long, long afternoon.

This was entertaining. Hachiko wouldn't say that out loud, of course, that would end badly for everyone involved. But really, watching the frustration on her twin's face was amusing to her. It didn't help that it appeared the demon boy was doing it deliberately. Hachi stared at him. So this was the guy that Mana had been lying to them to conceal. Messy red hair, tall, well-built, and he had the eeriest twinkle in his big blue eyes. He knew he was pissing Sachiko off. He actually seemed to be enjoying it.

"Yer not much for talkin', are ya?" Hachiko stifled a giggle. Where did a _demon_ get an Irish accent? It seemed to be putting off her sister, too; Sachiko's only answer was a glare as she stood there, sizing him up. The girl smiled as she heard sounds from behind her, towards the kitchen. She looked over at Mana; the blonde was pulling things out of the refrigerator. Mana was always a good host; no matter how unexpected a guest might be, she always tried to make them feel at home. Usually, this involved food. Hachiko watched her friend break eggs. It looked like Mana was going to make tamago, Japanese omelets. That sounded good. There was never anything like that to eat at Hachiko's house, not unless she made it herself.

That was one of the things Hachiko liked about Mana. She was so hell-bent on appearing unsuspicious that it made her more generous than most people, always offering the best she had to her friends, and always making sure there was enough for everyone so no one had to fight. Hachi, as one of five children, could appreciate that. It seemed like there was always a battle going on at home, whether it was for seats at the dinner table or the last of the orange juice in the morning. It didn't help that her older brother ate enough to choke a horse.

The raven-headed girl glanced back out the door. Her stubborn mule of a sister was still trying to stare the demon down. He was just standing there, staring back, with the most impish little smile on his face. His height and stature were unnerving, but his eyes made him seem almost harmless... although the intent for mischief was fairly clear. Hachi wasn't sure who to be more worried for, the red-head or her obstinate twin...

There was the slightest of yelps behind her, and the demon- what had Mana said his name was?- turned towards her to investigate. He had a curious look on his face as his eyes met hers for the first time. Hachiko shrugged and turned to look herself, rolling her eyes when her gaze reached the kitchen. Mana had set her hair on fire. The healing girl was whining softly as she nursed the singed strands, and suddenly, Hachiko realized that the demon boy was standing directly behind her. Odd; she hadn't even sensed him moving. He stared at Mana, and his mouth twitched.

"'Aven't I said ya should wear it up when ya cook? See, now ya've gone and set yerself on fire." Hachi stepped back as he moved past her to go investigate Mana's burnt hair. The girl had a definitive pout on her face.

"Damn evil stove..."

Sachiko tried to move past her, but Hachi held her arm out to stop her as the demon moved around the wall towards the kitchen. "Now, if ya'd just listened when I said to wear yer hair up, this wouldn't a happened."

"Jin, leave me alone! It's the stove's fault, not mine!"

Hachiko started to laugh. Behind her, she could hear her twin trying not to do the same.

"Gonna have to trim that, ya are." The demon reached over to bat at the burned hair, and Mana smacked his hand away with the fork she'd been mixing the eggs with. "Eh! That hurt! It weren't my fault the stove got ya!" The demon rubbed his hand, trying to nurse the hurt knuckles. "Yer a mean one, Mana," he mumbled with a mock-pout. Mana turned resolutely back to her cooking, looking properly flustered even if her cheeks lacked color. Hachiko quieted down, still chuckling lightly. There was no need to worry. Her best friend was going to be just fine.

Jin continued lightly poking fun at Mana while they ate. Hachiko watched, amused, as Mana grew more and more uneasy. Finally, the girl turned her back on her demon charge completely. He stared at her a few minutes, and then gave up and left her alone... only to start goading Sachiko again. "Come on, now, yer no fun if ya don't say somethin'." And then he reached over and poked her with a chopstick. Sachiko quite literally growled at him. "Well, fine, ya can just be that way. Don't see what ya got against me, though. I've never even met ya." Another poke. "Not real nice, hating on someone ya've never met before." He moved to poke her a third time, and Sachi grabbed the chopstick. "Okay, I get it, yer just anti-social."

"Want me to break that hand?"

The demon actually sat back a bit. "Well, personally, I don't think ya could. Yer kinda small and all, ya know?" He pulled at the chopstick, trying to get it back. Sachiko held on, and a small tug of war ensued. "I need that to eat with..."

"Too bad." Sachi was using the same sharp tone she did with their younger sister when she was trying to get out of her chores. Hachiko and the rest of the family knew it as her "I'm ready to start hitting things now" tone. The red-headed demon seemed oblivious, though, as he continued tugging.

"Come on, let's have it back."

"Nope."

Jin stared at Sachiko for a while, his mouth quirking as she stared right back at him. Finally, he let go of the stick. "Well, if yer gonna be that way, I'll just take yers."

Sachi's eyes went wide. "Okay, okay, take the damn thing!" Hachi raised an eyebrow, making a mental note to remember that approach for later. It could come in handy. Jin just looked pleased.

"Thank ya."

Mana was very focused on her food at this time. Hachi chuckled to herself. The poor girl must have been going insane, having her nice, quiet home invaded by someone this... _outgoing_. Mana wasn't exactly the social type; she had preferred to be alone since they were children. Having to actually share her home with someone that talkative and energetic must have been new to her. Hachi paused suddenly, glancing at the demon. Energetic? That didn't sound right. Usually anyone that Mana had used the binding cord on tended to be rather lethargic. The youth frowned, standing up. "Hey, Mana? Can I ask you something?" The blonde girl looked up from her plate, her expression confused. Hachi set her dish down and headed for the hallway, knowing Mana would follow. Sure enough, the healer was coming in just as Hachiko flopped onto the bed. "We need to chat."

* * *

Mana had some very interesting friends. Jin looked over at the black haired girl he was sharing the couch with curiously before going back to his plate. He probably wouldn't have been giving her such a hard time if she would have at least introduced herself, but she was the one who had come up to him hostile. She had made herself way too easy to tease.

Still, he probably needed to stop soon. He did want Mana to take that stupid cord off his wrist...

The girl was staring at him as he ate. He blinked, lowering the dish to stare back. "Wot, ya want to chat now?"

The human set her plate down and sat back, eyeing him carefully. "How long have you been staying here with Mana?"

"Me? Jest a few days now." He tilted his head, thinking. "Since about Tuesday, I think, 'cause the next day she said it was Wednesday."

The girl seemed to think for a moment before stiffening slightly. "How'd she first find you?"

"Em..." Jin frowned. Just how much trouble would this be getting Mana into? Granted, she was probably already going to be in some trouble for having him there, and he hadn't exactly been behaving like she'd asked him to, but wasn't it still better to leave the big explanation-type discussions to her? Then again, the way this human was staring at him was downright creepy. Was she trying to put the evil eye on him? "Well, I guess she just kinda found me where I was layin'. I was hurt pretty well badly, and Mana gave me somethin' to eat where I was, and then the next time I went to sleep I woke up here."

"Right..." Oh, the girl did _not_ look pleased. Mana was going to be getting into trouble for that one, he was certain of it. "And what are you going to do when you don't need those bandages any more?"

Translation, _what are you going to do to my friend_, Jin realized as the girl waited for his response. She couldn't have cared less about him; she was just worried about her friend. Well, that made things simple. "Well, with any luck I'll be able to find a friend of mine and go home. I won't be needin' to stick around here any, so once Mana gets this cord offa my wrist I'll be gone. I'm not wanting to impose on her or anything..."

Damn it, now the girl was _glaring_ at him. What had he said wrong? The black-haired youth looked him over, her expression serious, before her eyes met his again. "My name is Sachiko."

"My name's Jin. Nice to meet ya?"

"Maybe." She stood up, picking up her plate and heading towards the kitchen. "It depends on how you mind yourself around my friend. If you try to hurt her, I won't be very nice at all."

Jin looked down at his plate. "I'll be keepin' that in mind." Human women, the demon decided, were definitely a scarier lot than any demon women he could ever hope to meet...

It was only another ten or fifteen minutes before Mana came back into the room with her other friend. Jin stared; something about the girl's wind had turned peculiar on him. He stood by the door patiently, hoping that both of the eerie girls would leave soon, only to watch as Sachiko grabbed the blonde by the arm and tugged her right back in the direction she'd come with, leaving him with- Jin gulped- the second raven-haired girl.

The second girl nodded at him. "Hi. I'm Hachiko. I'm sorry about my twin. She can be a little coarse. Jin, right?"

The redhead stared, dumbfounded. "Um... yeah, that be me."

She actually smiled as she sat down. "It's nice to meet you. It's been a long time since Mana has shared her home with anyone. I hope she's not giving you too much trouble."

"Em... no?" Jin scratched the back of his neck. Trying to talk to this twin was awkward after being interrogated by the other one. "No, Mana's a good girl. Seems a little lonely sometimes, though..."

Hachiko chuckled. "Don't let her hear you say that. She'll deny it. She's taken care of herself for a pretty long time now. It's kind of a pride thing with her."

"I see." Jin frowned. "So yer not gonna be threatening me like the other one was, are ya?"

"Nope. I leave that to Sachi." The human girl sat back. "What I am going to do is ask a favor of you."

Jin leaned back against the doorframe, starting to feel slightly suspicious. "What kind of favor?"

"Just a simple one." This Hachiko had a deceptively warm smile... "Mana's sick right now, you've noticed, right? The weaker she gets, the worse she'll be. Do you think you could look after her for me?"

The wind master stared. "That sounds easy enough."

"There's a catch."

"Always is," Jin muttered. Hachiko looked at him with amusement written all over her face. He sighed. "Wot's the catch?"

"She might need to steal a bit of your energy."

Jin had thought the girl was strange before. Now he was starting to realize he had no idea. "I'm sorry... wot?"

"Mana can help herself if she takes energy from other people. It may make her a bit less sick, you know?" Hachiko looked up at him with a startlingly trusting expression. "That way you can take care of her for me, and then I won't have to turn you in."

"Em... ahright..." So much for not threatening him, then. Human women were _definitely_ a different species altogether, Jin decided. And they were starting to frighten him now. Demon women weren't this scary. They were actually pretty straightforward and fun. This girl... this girl was possibly even scarier than her sister.

Jin did his best to stop teasing for the rest of the afternoon. He opted to sit and watch Mana do her homework instead, carefully taking note of how the girl's energy moved. She definitely had more of it than she had before, but it was kind of topsy-turvy for a while, like it was having a hard time settling. Mana was still pale as death, he noted, but she wasn't shaking as she wrote in the answers on the paper and, even more importantly, she actually made dinner herself that night. He kept up his 'surveillance' throughout the meal; Mana's reiki finally seemed to be settling a bit as she ate. In fact, it wasn't until he had gone to his room that he heard the tell-tale sign that things were still amiss; shortly past ten, the healer girl began to cough. Jin sighed. Well, he did owe it to the girl to at least try to help her, right?

Mana's eyes weren't quite as wide when he slipped into her room as they had been the night before, although she gave him an almost resentful look when he handed her the glass of water. She didn't flinch when he patted her back to stay the coughing, though, and that was progress. Even further progress was the fact that she actually mumbled a soft 'thank you' as she set her bucket to the side. Jin decided to take a chance. "Ey, Mana?"

"Hmm?" The girl looked up from the water she had been vacantly staring at. "Yeah?"

"Em..." Well, when in doubt, best to just be blunt. "How do ye go about takin' energy from other people?"

Mana blanched. He honestly hadn't thought the girl could get any more pale than she already was, but she turned _white_. Jin tilted his head as she stared up at him, trying to make sense of the look in her eyes. Was she afraid or angry? "Did Hachi tell you?"

"Yeah, it was her." Jin sat down on the edge of the girl's bed, trying his best to seem harmless. "She said ya kin take energy from other people. That it'll make ya not get sick." He watched the girl's fingers slip over the glass slightly. "She helped ya, didn't she? Yer stronger than ya were earlier. But yer still sick. Why is that?" The blonde didn't answer, only continued to turn the glass around in her hands, again and again and again. "Mana, why?" The girl set the glass down, pointedly ignoring him. Jin stared. Of all the stubborn people he had ever met, this one was the worst. Sighing, he reached over and took hold of her arm firmly. That got her attention; Mana's eyes finally met his. He tried one more time. "Give us a bit of talk now, eh? Why are ya still sick?"

The blonde studied him quietly before looking away... but she did speak. "I guess I'm just still hungry."

Jin blinked. "Hungry? Ya mean yer energy, right?" There was a tiny nod. "It makes ya hungry when ya don't have enough?"

"Kind of..." Jin raised an eyebrow as the girl shifted uncomfortably, realization dawning as she averted her eyes once again. Now, he realized, he was finally seeing what Mana Koyama was really like; slightly timid, nervous around people, wary about trusting... and positively childish in the way she stuck her chin up to hide it all. He wasn't dealing with a human woman, he was dealing with a human _child_. Fourteen years old, he reminded himself. Young kid... "If I can't regain my energy naturally, my body starts compensating in other ways. I get hungry and eat a lot, but it seems like it's never enough; I burn it all right off."

The wind master sighed. "I guess there's no choice about it, then. Ya hafta take some of mine."

Mana shifted uncomfortably. "I can't do that."

"I bet ya could if ya wanted to," Jin pressured. "It can't be that hard, yer Hachi friend seemed fine."

"No, it's just..." Mana fidgeted. "If I drain energy off of you, how will you heal?"

The wind master gaped. "That's a pitiful poor excuse, that is. Try again."

"I..." He tightened his grip on her arm as she trailed off. "I just..."

"Ya just what?" He tugged her towards him slightly. "Don't go sayin' ya just can't, cause I already know ya can."

Mana's shoulders slumped slightly. "Are you sure you want me to do this?"

Oh, for the love of... of _everything_, how stubborn was she going to be? "Ya helped me heal. It's only fair that I help ya in return."

Mana turned back towards him, studying him with a very blank expression. "You are a very strange apparition..."

This was starting to wear on his nerves. "No," he argued, "I just don't get why a nice girl would go and help somebody if all it'd do was make her hurt. Now are ya gonna let me help ya or not?"

Mana's shoulders heaved with a single, defeated sigh. "Close your eyes."

Jin did as he was told, feeling the first unease at the request. Just what did the girl do to draw energy, anyway? He should have asked Hachiko about that when he'd had the chance, he really should have. Was this going to hurt? Was it going to leave him weak? Was it-

Something soft brushed his mouth, and his eyes flew open.

The girl's eyes were closed as she pressed her lips against his. Her expression had a sort of passive focus, as though this was nothing more than shaking his hand. For a fleeting moment Jin wondered if he should pull back. Chaste and innocent as it was, the girl was still _kissing_ him, after all, and he'd always had this little problem with pretty enough girls- or, according to Touya, some of the not so pretty ones when he was _really_ drunk- that whenever they tried to kiss him, he always kissed them back, even if he wasn't at the pub with a few drinks down to blame. Yes, he thought, he really should back away before he embarrassed himself.

And then he felt the actual draining begin, and his entire body froze. It was the most singularly peculiar sensation he'd ever felt; it was as though someone had run little threads through his veins and was slowly pulling them through his blood. It tingled, like the way it did when you chewed on a battery- not that he really wanted to think about how he knew that at the time, but the feeling was similar. He could feel the fine hairs on the back of his neck prickling as Mana pulled the energy from him. It felt _weird_. The fact that the girl's face was still alabaster white while he could feel his own cheeks flushing just made it even more unnerving...

And then, after what seemed like a full minute, Mana sat back and looked up at him with accusing eyes. "You taste like air."

Jin stared. "Is that a bad thing?"

The young detective shook her head. "It's nice," she said softly, "and it means I'll absorb it fast."

"Do different kinds of energy have different tastes, then?" Jin was starting to feel a little curious as to how this worked. Mana was actually nodding at him. He stared. Had she literally been eating his energy? Didn't that make her a vampire?

"Everybody tastes different to me. It usually has to do with what resonates best with them, humans and demons alike. Sachiko always tastes like electricity, and it gives me an upset stomach if I drain too much, but Hachiko is kind of like rain water, and that sits better."

That was... Jin gulped. That was just a little strange, really. "And I taste like the air to ya?"

Mana nodded almost sheepishly. "It's... it's actually kind of nice. You taste like the breeze when I go up onto the roof in the springtime." Was that a _blush_? Jin could have sworn her cheeks were getting darker. She looked up at him with those accusing eyes again. "You didn't tell me you were a wind demon."

"Ya never asked."

She struck him on the arm then, lightly, but enough to make him glad she didn't have her spoon. "You haven't told me _anything_ yet, anything at all."

"Ya never asked," he repeated, and then before she could hit him again, "What do ya want to know?"

Mana sighed, settling back against her pillows, the little bucket forgotten. Jin took the opportunity to gleefully tuck her in bed to see if he could make her blush more. It didn't work; the girl just snuggled under the covers and looked up at him balefully as he settled cross-legged on the bed to be more comfortable. She finally spoke again when he was settled. "Jin, who _are_ you? What are you doing here in the human world?"

He sighed. Well, it was only right to tell her, wasn't it? Jin took a deep breath. "I came here to get away from an ambush. I have a friend where I come from, his name's Touya. Me and Touy were out walking when this guy we used to work with comes up to talk to us. We didn't want to talk to him much, but he's the persistant type, ya know? It was when we were tryin' to shake him that we got attacked."

Mana nodded, fingering the edge of her sheet idly. "So how'd you get through to this world?"

"We used a gate." Jin shifted slightly, recalling what Mana had introduced herself as. _Spirit detective in training_. Well, he'd never had problems with any of the spirit detectives he'd met before, but this _was_ dangerous territory. He sighed; the girl's eyes were practically burning the side of his head. "There's this guy me and Touy know, see, who knows how to make a little hole to get through to the human realm. Except they don't always work to well. Sometimes a person gets separated from his fellows when he comes through."

Mana was staring at him now, her expression heavy. "So you can just pass through whenever you like it?"

"Oh, it's not as easy as all that now!" Jin tried his best to sound convincing. "Makin' the gates, well, supposedly it's no small thing! Me and Toy, we'll probably get yelled at for using just that one, and then the one to go home on." He flinched slightly. "Touya's got that one, though. Means I'm stuck here 'til I find him."

Forget heavy, the girl's expression was downright _flat_. That was never a safe look to see on a woman's face, Jin knew that from experience, and it didn't matter _what_ species the woman was! "Jin," the human said carefully, "you are an idiot."

"I-"

Mana cut him off. "You don't repeat what you just told me to anyone, you got it? No one. Not even... especially not the twins. If they ask, you and your friend just got lucky enough to find a gap in the barriers. Got it?" He stared, dumbfounded, and the girl repeated herself more firmly. "Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Good." Mana snuggled back into her pillows slightly. "So... what's it like where you come from, anyway?"

And for all the world, _now_ she looked like a child. Jin chuckled to himself, dredging up old memories of the forests and towns of the demon realm until Mana finally fell asleep. Honestly, he was kind of starting to like her. She was an interesting little human; she kept him amused. And she kept him fed. It seemed like a little energy was a fair trade for that, right?

Even if he did have to put up with being smacked with the damned spoon...


	5. Weekend Wanderings

Well, it's official; the new update day for Kaze no Fantasia is Saturdays... when fanfiction dot net decides to work with me. This chapter should have been up yesterday, but the site was apparently having some issues. And this was after I'd sat there for over eight hours finishing the chapter. Whee...

Here's a fun note. If ya'all would go check out Big-sister on deviantart (that's big-sister dot deviantart dot com) you'll find a few sketches of Mana. Ironically, these are done by my little sister. Sis has an interesting style- the eyes are a little narrow- but it's still a pretty good idea of what Mana Koyama looks like. Stop by and leave her a few comments. Maybe it'll get her to draw more!

On another note, I now have an item of extreme cuteness. The Jin cell phone dangle Ray got me finally came in the mail, and it is so adorable! My cat seems to have some issues with it, though; she keeps randomly walking over and batting at it. As a result, I have to carry it around with me everywhere, and I'm thinking of hanging it from my favorite necklace. There are no fangirl motives here, nope, not at all. I'm just protecting it from my cat. Yep.

And as for the chapter itself, we finally see how Mana displays her sense of humor. There are two little 'jokes' she plays in the chapter involving objects that have been somewhat vaguely described. E-cookies to anyone who can actually tell me what both those items are, by name. It's vague, but the hints are there.

Now for a few notes on Japanese culture. First of all, I've actually been doing research on the school system. It's harder to find information on the middle school system, but since it's so similar to the high school system I've been able to piece things together that way. School in Japan, at least for older students, really does take up six days out of the week, although Saturdays are generally half days and a time for clubs and things to meet. There's no janitorial service to speak of; the students themselves do the cleaning after school. And the rules on clothing and hair are very, very strict.

Also, in this chapter it's noted that Mana stands out, a lot. Japanese culture, especially for people her age, has a lot of stress on uniformity. Kids in school have to dress the same, use the same handbags, even look the same- again, there are strict rules on hair. They can actually make you change your hair back if you try to dye it or perm it. Mana, being of mixed heritage, just doesn't look right in a way that's usually reserved for girls who don't take life quite so seriously. A good example of that kind of snap judgement is the manga Peach Girl- Momo, who is on the swim team and thus has a tan and light hair, is immediately judged to be an irresponcible party girl by a lot of people who meet her on the streets. Mana has to deal with similar sentiments, although to a lighter extent- she's anything but tanned, after all. But she still stands out.

Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed or put this story on their favorites. It's a super-great motivation to me to know that people are actually reading my story, even better than my mother breathing down my neck. I like hearing everyone's feedback and opinions, so keep it coming. Thanks!

So let's go!

* * *

Jin thought he was seeing a definite theme with this bookcase. The upper two shelves were stacked two rows deep with novels. They weren't the kind of things a young girl would read; the fact that many of them had dust on them was just further proof of this. The books on all the lower shelves, however, were _definitely_ those of a teenage girl. He spent the morning flipping through the different books, starting at the top and working his way down, trying to find something to take outside with him. One or two titles on the shelves looked okay, but most of them... Jin picked up yet another volume, flipped through it, and tossed it aside. Fluffy romances were _not_ his idea of an interesting read. They'd probably just make him even more bored than he already was.

What he really needed was to get away from this building for a while...

There was a soft groan from the balcony doors. "You're making a mess."

Jin blinked as Mana stepped inside. "Do ya always come inside from there, then?"

"It's easier than the front door." The girl dropped her book bag on the couch and set to work pulling a pair of black rubber bands from her hair. The wind master just paused, glancing at the clock. Wasn't this far, far earlier than she was usually home? He didn't usually keep track of the hour of her comings and goings, but he was certain she was early.

Mana actually sat on the edge of the couch, struggling with the golden locks, and Jin raised an eyebrow. Something else that was new, then. She'd never worn her hair like _that_ before. "How come ya got yer hair in braids today?"

"I got yelled at by a teacher." The girl wrinkled her nose. "I'm not supposed to wear it down, but I hate braids and pigtails. They're so childish." She shook her head, letting her hair come loose and fall back down around her. "So today I basically got an ultimatum from one of my teachers; either braid it properly or dye it black. I braided it."

The redhead sat up a bit. "They can't actually force ya to dye yer hair, can they?"

"Yes, they can." Mana sighed. "I get off easy because my hair is naturally blonde and they all know it. I'll just wear the braids for a couple of weeks and then go back to taking it down. There's only one guy who ever calls me on it anyway, and that's usually only when he's in a really bad mood." The corners of her mouth quirked. "Now if he saw your hair, on the other hand, I think he'd have a few words to say about it on a _good_ day."

"M'kay..." Was she trying to tell him something there? Jin studied the girl carefully. The healer actually had some of her color back today. "Why're ya home so early today?"

"You don't know a lot about the education systems here, do you?" Mana kicked her shoes off. "Saturdays are only half days. Tomorrow I don't have to go to school at all. I would have been home an hour ago, but my group got stuck with cleaning." She stared down at the clutter of books around him. "Looks like I have to do some cleaning here, too."

Jin grinned sheepishly. "I'll pick 'em up."

"Thanks." The girl stretched. "I'm going out for a while today. I'd like to check your bandages when I get home, if that's all right."

Jin nodded, picking up a book. He was starting to get used to Mana's habit of casually conversing with him. "Where ya gonna be goin'? Is it gonna be anywhere interestin' to be?"

"I'm just going out with the twins. We go out for karaoke every Saturday night."

The redhead blinked. _That_ could be fun and interesting. Hell, just getting out of this apartment would be fun and interesting to him. "Do ya ever take guests with ya, maybe?"

Mana looked over at him, her expression startled. "Ah... not typically. It's always been just us three."

"Oh." Blast, now he could feel himself getting even more bored. Eh, they probably wouldn't have had any songs that he knew anyway. "Wot else can a body do for fun around here?"

"In this area, not much." The blonde sighed. "Are you that unhappy indoors?"

"It's not that I'm unhappy. I just got nothin' to _do_." Jin picked up a book; by the cover alone it was identifiable as yet another flowery romance. "This may be all well and good for a girl like yerself, but it's hardly that entertainin' for someone like me."

Mana studied him critically for several long moments before sighing and heading towards her room without a word. Jin frowned; it didn't seem like the girl, at least as far as he knew her, to just walk out on a conversation that way. Had he just offended her? Had he sounded too ungrateful or something? He started putting the rest of the books away a little faster, taking care to at least keep them slightly grouped by series. It wouldn't do to annoy her any more than he already had...

He was reaching for one of the last books when Mana dropped a volume of manga in front of him. "Give this a try."

"Wot is it?" He picked the book up curiously, checking the title. It didn't sound overly girly, at least... "It's not another romance, is it?"

"Ah... only on one level. It's also a very, very popular action series. And there are almost thirty more volumes in my room."

Jin raised an eyebrow. _That_ could keep him amused... if the story was any good. "I'll give it a try."

"Good." The girl's mouth quirked. Jin stared. That didn't look like a smile right there, it looked like a _smirk_. "You'll like it. I promise." Mana headed for the hallway. "I'm going to get ready to leave now. You behave, okay?"

"Awright." Gee, she said that a lot. Jin watched her head into the hallway, amused. What, exactly, did she think he was going to _do_? Shaking his head with a smile, he headed out to the balcony. The least he could do was give the book a try. Reading wasn't always his thing, sure, but he needed something to do. He sighed, flopping onto the swing. The wind felt stronger today…

* * *

Mana used the service elevator to get out of the apartment building. She liked her shoes, pretty platform sandals with purple ribbons that wound up her legs, but they weren't exactly good for getting down the fire escape. Ducking into town, she found Sachiko and Hachiko already waiting at the café where they usually met on Saturdays. It always made her smile just a tiny bit to see how the twins dressed outside of their school uniforms. Hachiko always looked cute, with frilled socks and pleated skirts and pretty button-up tops, while Sachiko preferred the comfort of baggy jeans and loose t-shirts. Hachi carried a purse and had clips in her hair; Sachi stuffed a wallet into her pocket and pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail. Hachiko wore lip gloss and a bit of mascara; Sachiko called them both freaks for wearing make-up at all. Mana thought it was just funny that you could tell practically everything about them from how they looked side by side, dressed how they liked to be dressed. Mana tugged her own violet skirt down slightly and adjusted her pink sweater-jacket; seeing how rumpled Sachi looked always made her self conscious. "Hey!"

Hachiko looked up from the poster she was reading in the café window. "Hey, Mana. You look better today."

"Thanks." Mana adjusted the strap on her purse. "So where are we going today?"

"We'll rent a private room. The next contest here is next weekend." Hachi stood up straight. "Can we get snacks first? I'm hungry."

"I thought you'd never mention it." Mana made a mental note to have a chat with the cheery twin later. "Lunch feels like it was twenty years ago. Can we get pastries?" The blonde made an effort to not sound too hungry. It already felt as at least half of the energy she had fed the night before had been used up. Jin was definitely stronger than she'd first thought he was; there was no use in denying it any more. Not after her conversation with Hachiko... Mana blinked. Sachi was staring at her. "Is something wrong?"

"Nah." The girl shoved her hands into her pockets. "Let's just get something to eat."

Mana felt a sudden dawning apprehension. Sachiko was showing every possible sign of yes, something is wrong, and usually she was more than happy to share those troubles if only for the malicious glee of spreading it around a bit. So for Sachi to say that no, there was nothing wrong, when clearly there _was_ something wrong, it meant that it was the kind of wrong that couldn't be talked about in public. Which meant... the blonde groaned. She knew what this was going to be about. She just knew it.

Sure enough, Sachiko waited until after they had gotten their snacks and gotten to the karaoke room to talk. The private rental rooms were, Mana knew, fairly soundproof. If Sachi started yelling, it wouldn't make a scene. And Sachi looked ready to yell.

Instead, she just glared. "I'm still mad at you."

Mana sighed. "Sachi, I did what needed to be done."

"No, you didn't, because what you didn't do was tell us about it. What if something had actually gone wrong?" Sachi's hands were on her hips. "What would you have done then?"

The blonde sighed again. "Look, I get the point, okay? No more secrets."

"There weren't supposed to be any secrets in the first place. We'd already agreed to that."

Mana did her best to keep her voice casual. "No, there weren't supposed to be any secrets about official casework. This was different."

There were several seconds of silence before Sachi got up and grabbed the microphone. "I hate you sometimes. Pick a song for me, would you, sis?" There was no reply; Hachiko seemed to be laughing too hard to hear her. Mana felt the start of a tiny smile. Well, they could be a pain in the neck sometimes, but watching the two interact could be pretty funny. It made it hard to stay annoyed with them.

That, she considered quietly, and it was hard to stay in a foul mood when she actually knew people cared.

She took off earlier than usual that day, using shopping as an excuse. Well, it was the truth, she mused. She did have a few things she needed to pick up before the stores closed. Either that or she got to risk a bored demon making even more of a mess in her home...

Mana sighed inwardly as she pushed her door open that evening. That had been a trial, and half of it would probably have to go back anyway. On the plus side, there hadn't been too much of a wait to pick up takeout on the way home. She looked around. The living room was quiet, at least. So was the rest of the apartment. "Jin?" There was no answer... but the balcony door was open, she saw. Raising an eyebrow, she headed outside. The demon boy was sitting on the swing, completely absorbed in his reading. Mana rolled her eyes and dangled one of the takeout bags by the side of his head. "Jin, dinner."

He actually jumped. "Oi! Where'd ya come from this time?!"

"From the front door." Mana held up the meal. "Are you going to take this, or should I set it inside?"

"I'll take it." Jin was openly staring at her as he reached for the bag. Mana sighed.

"Is something wrong?"

"Ya look different today." The apparition tilted his head. "Ya don't dress like that for school."

"We're not allowed to." Mana settled onto the swing; eating outside sounded nice. "This is how I like to dress when I go out."

"Ah." And of course he seemed more interested in eating than conversation once the box was opened. Mana raised an eyebrow, glancing over at the graphic novel he'd been reading. It had been forgotten the moment food entered the picture, poor thing. The healer blinked. He was on volume twelve already? "Do you like the series?"

"It's a good one," Jin mumbled around a mouth full of tempura. "I never realized ya had a sense of humor, though."

Mana gave him an innocent look. "Oh? What do you mean?"

"Ya ever actually take a gander at the guy on the cover? It don't take a genius to see that kinda resemblance. 'At kind of red is hard to come by."

Mana focused on her food, determined not to show any sort of response. "I'm sorry if you think that. It's just a coincidence."

"Yeah, right." Jin poked her in the side with a chopstick; she squeaked in spite of herself. Damn it, why did he do that? "I'm startin' to figure out when yer lyin' to a person."

She forced herself to keep her expression straight. "I never lie."

"Sure ya do. See, there it is again." Jin sat back with a smug look. Mana forgot her poker face in turning to look at him. Why did he have such a cocky grin?

"There what is?"

"Ya gots a tell." Jin grinned. "It ain't obvious, but it's definitely there."

Mana stared, dumbfounded. "I do not have a tell."

"Sure ya do." Jin took another bite, looking over at her with a mischievous grin. "Kind of a fun one, too."

Damn it, was he making fun of her again? Why did he do this to her? Mana scowled and opened her dinner. "I do not have a tell. Someone would have noticed it by now."

"Ya do, too, so says I. And it isn't something anyone else could notice but me, so there."

And try as she might, she couldn't get him to say another word about it all evening.

* * *

Jin found he could only half pay attention to listening for the coughing that night. Sleep didn't want to come, either, not with his head so busy. He hadn't been lying when he said the girl had a tell; whenever she was trying to pull a fast one on somebody the air around her shifted just a tiny bit faster, a nervous reaction that she could do nothing about. No one else would ever notice that, but he did. He could always tell a person by their wind, and Mana's told him a lot of stuff that she probably didn't want anyone else to know. The girl was a complicated little lass, but he thought he was starting to figure her out.

He wasn't even sure when he'd gotten to sleep when he found sunlight streaming in through the window. Jin blinked a few times, frowning. He couldn't remember hearing anything last night. Had Mana fallen asleep without being ill, or had he fallen asleep before it happened? Stretching as he stood, he headed out into the hallway... and stopped as soon as he came into sight of the kitchen. Mana was up, but she looked half out of it as she vacantly poured herself a cup of tea. "Eh, you okay?"

"Ngh." The girl didn't even look up. Jin frowned. He was used to her not being the most social person in the morning, but this was new. Had she only just gotten up? He glanced at the clock and gaped; he hadn't even known she was capable of sleeping that late...

And then she came around the counter, carrying her teacup, and Jin's eyes went wide. The girl had fallen asleep in what she'd been wearing last night, and the little purple skirt that had seemed short when he'd seen it yesterday seemed even worse now. That and he hadn't realized she'd been wearing that itty bitty white tank top under her sweater. Normally a girl who wasn't wearing much wasn't that much of a shock to him- he'd seen some real winners, and a couple of really bad losers, back where he'd come from- but seeing a girl dressed like this when he was used to her fairly modest school uniform... Jin shook his head. "Oi, ya look like a mess. Go get yerself decent, that ain't polite when ya've got company."

It was as though she didn't even hear him. Mana brushed right past him without even looking up, her teacup clenched in her hands and her eyes only half open. Jin turned to watch her go, only to turn back towards the kitchen fast. That skirt was even worse from behind!

The wind master tried to act natural when Mana came out a half an hour later. She sounded almost cheerful when she said good morning to him; he found he could barely look her in the eye as he mumbled a reply. Facts were facts, and the fact was there was no polite way to tell the girl he'd seen her underwear. It would be better to just chalk it up as another lesson learned; apparently Mana woke up slowly. Very, very slowly. Slowly enough, in fact, that she didn't even seem to remember nearly bumping into him earlier. That was good, he decided, just as good as the fact that she'd put on a long bathrobe before she'd come back out. He didn't think he was too fond of that skirt of hers now.

Mana hummed as she worked in the kitchen, snatches of a song or two he'd heard before and bits of a few that he hadn't. She seemed to be contemplating something; the stove almost claimed more of her hair twice. Finally, once they were actually eating, she seemed to decide it was time to be chatty. "You want to get out for a while, right?"

"It'd be nice." Jin shoveled another bite of egg into his mouth. He wasn't sure exactly how she cooked the things, but they were always pretty good. Looking over, he noted the girl nodding.

"I've got some shopping to do today. Do you want to come with me? There's a condition, before you answer."

Hadn't her friend Hachiko said the exact same thing? "There's always a condition," Jin replied with his mouth full. He swallowed fast as Mana wrinkled her nose. "Wot's it this time?"

The girl reached over to the end of the couch and picked up a couple of bags. "You need to wear something less conspicuous than what you've got on. Can you try some of this, please?"

It was worth it to get outside for a while, he told himself forcefully. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Good." Mana looked pleased. "I'll let you use the bathroom first today to get ready. I need to finish my shopping lists."

"Ah... thanks." Damn, that meant a bath was involved with her girly soaps. He hadn't even thought of that. The kid was _good_. He made a vow right then not to touch the shampoos. He was not going to smell like a piece of fruit, not even to go outside...

Well, at least the girl had the sense to pick simple, _masculine_ clothing for him. It took trying a few times to find a pair of denim jeans in the bag that actually fit him, but the three t-shirts all seemed to be about the right size- probably a result of how many times she'd bandaged him, he noted ruefully. Yesterday evening she'd said he was just about healed. He had simply nodded, thanking her even though she'd told him something he'd already known. Jin flexed his right hand into a fist, quietly studying the silver loop around it. The truth was he was starting to feel his strength coming back to him, even through the healer's seal. The wind was getting a bit stronger to his senses. Soon he might even be able to use his yoki without Mana removing that damned cord...

"Are you ready to go?"

Mana was peeking into his room. For a moment Jin felt a bit nervous at the sight of the same pink sweater she'd been wearing the day before, but it looked like she had a flowery yellow sundress on under it. She looked very sweet and innocent, he decided. He dropped his hand to his side. "Yeah, I can go now."

"Cool. Ah, don't forget your hat before we go. Most humans probably can't see that horn, but I don't want to take any chances." The girl headed back into the hallway. Jin followed her as she grabbed a purse from the couch, obediently pulling the hat down over his head. He watched as the healer locked her front door and headed out to the balcony. This was what, the third time she'd used the balcony instead of her front door?

"Oi, Mana, how come ya do that?"

"Do what?" The girl slung herself up onto the wall and actually jumped across to the fire escape. Jin stared.

"That." Mana blinked across at him. Jin sighed. "How come ya come and go from the stairs like ya do?"

"Ah… it's easier." Mana stepped back, and Jin realized she was waiting for him to follow. He did. "I did something with a college group once, and they've been bugging me to do it again, but I don't feel like it, so I get up to my apartment this way to avoid people. It's good exercise besides."

"Okay." Weird kid... "What'd ya help 'em with?"

"I worked with them for a movie thing. It was a film club." Mana shrugged. "There was an audition for it. I only tried the audition so I could write about it for school. The school likes it when you volunteer. I didn't expect to get picked to do anything, and now that they have an approval they want to do a version with an actual budget."

"Only yer sayin' no this time?" Jin followed her down the series of stairs. "That's not a very nice thing to be doin' to them. They want yer help." He blinked. "What did ya do to help, anyway?"

Mana looked back up at him with a flat expression. "What do you think I did? I acted."

Jin stared down at the girl, trying to picture this. He couldn't. "So they want ya to do the same part again, is that what I'm hearin'?"

"Yes." Mana climbed down a ladder and dropped to the ground. "It was tiring, though. I've got enough to do for my own schoolwork already."

Jin dropped down behind her. "Ya seem to manage yer schooling just fine, from what I've been seein'. Ya should take the chance to do somethin' nice when it's given t' ya. Who knows, ya may even have some fun." He poked her lightly in the arm. "Ya don't seem like the kinda girl to turn her back on someone when they be needin' her. I know that much about ya already."

"Right..." Mana headed off down the alley. Jin followed along at her heels, happy just to have a chance to stretch his legs. Human jeans were actually pretty comfortable. Who knew?

"So where're we gonna be goin' today, anyway?" Mana turned to look back at him. "Ya said ya got some shoppin' to do. Wot kind?"

"Just grocery shopping, mostly, although I'm going to need to stock up a bit on other things if you're going to be staying with me for much longer." The blonde actually turned and walked backwards for a moment. "I mean, it's not like you have anywhere else to stay while you look for your friend, right?"

Jin blinked. She sounded... hopeful. Poor kid, she _was_ lonelier than she let on. Jin shook his head, swallowing slightly. "No, I don't. I don't have the slightest clue where I even am, to be totally honest with ya. If I could stay with ya a bit longer, that would be some sorta good help."

Mana actually _smiled_, and again Jin was struck by the fact that she looked completely different when she showed some signs of being happy. She turned back around before he could comment, watching where she was going as they came out of the alley. "Okay, then, we've got a couple of things to pick up for you to start with. Just the basics, really, but they're important. And I definitely need to stock up on some groceries, I'm used to cooking for just myself. Come on."

It turned out the girl was amazingly easy to follow in a crowd. Mana was nimble enough to get just a bit ahead of him, but she was impossible to actually lose with that hair. All he had to do if something distracted him from actually keeping an eye on her was look around for that golden head, and there she'd be. He followed along, his hands shoved into his pockets, noting the way the people around them would glance at the girl as she passed them by. Jin frowned, wondering if she noticed. The kid stood out. The kid stood out a lot. It wasn't just the color of her hair, either, he noted; the texture of it was different from theirs. Mana's hair was fluffier than the straight black locks of the people around her. It had more bounce and wave to it. As they walked, a crowd of kids- all boys, all probably around their late teens- openly stared at the girl as she passed. Jin shot them a glare as he brushed by them; they turned away quickly and went back to what they'd been doing. She was a kid. A person wasn't supposed to look at a kid like that. The healer girl didn't even seem to be aware of it.

Mana finally stopped and turned to look back at him outside a large market. "Do you have any sort of preferences about food and things? Is there anything you really don't like?"

"There's more stuff that I do like than I don't." Jin followed the girl inside, pausing with her while she grabbed a little hand basket. "Although if ya don't mind, do ya think we could get some soap that doesn't smell like somethin' ya eat? It's just a little bit emasculatin'-like havin' to be scented like a fruit."

She should have been laughing. The look in her eyes was that of a person who would have been laughing. Mana's shoulders shook slightly, her mouth quirking, but she didn't laugh. "I'm sorry about that. Don't worry, though, that's one of the necessities I mentioned."

"Good." Jin studied her expression. She seemed cheerful enough in her own unusual way. In fact, she started to hum again as she headed towards the aisles. He followed along after her, pausing here and there to look at the colorful displays on the shelves. Oh, good, she was serious about getting a different kind of soap... Jin raised an eyebrow as the girl studied the shelves and grabbed a green bottle. Did her whole expression just light up? The wind master stared. Yes, she was actually _smirking_ slightly as she dropped it into the basket on her arm. That made him curious. "Eh, wot's that there?"

"Something not emasculating." Mana turned and headed down the aisle quickly. Jin raised an eyebrow, quickening his step to catch up to her.

"That ain't funny. Come on, now, let's have it."

Mana's mouth was twitching. "I have to pay for it first."

Jin reached over, catching the edge of the basket with one hand, and pulled the bottle out. His eyes widened. She _did_ have a sense of humor. That was the only explanation for it. "Cute..."

"It suits you." Was that... no, not quite. For a moment there, he thought he'd gotten two smiles in one day. Mana looked up at him innocently, and Jin started to recognize the expression for what it was: _amusement_. She thought this was funny. He let go of the basket.

"Yer a _brat_."

"That's a new one. I don't usually hear 'brat' from people." Mana headed off towards the next aisle. Jin followed her without being told to. "Actually, that's kind of pleasant."

"Wot do ya usually hear from people?" So she did notice the stares? Or was this about something else completely? Ahead of him, Mana shrugged.

"Oh, this and that." She tossed a toothbrush into the basket; he assumed it was for him... and then a comb followed it. Jin winced as she turned towards him. "Once we're done here we'll need to take all this back to the apartment, but then do you want to go get something to eat?"

"That sounds nice." Jin tilted his head. The least he could do was try to help, right? He nodded towards the basket. "Ya want me to carry that for ya?"

There, that was the slight softening for the eyes that seemed to fill in for smiling when the actual act seemed like too much for her. "That'd be helpful, actually. There's a bit I need to get." Jin nodded again, taking the tote from her. It took them a while to get through the store- the basket started getting a lot heavier than he'd expected before too long and the clerks looked at him funny- but being able to go out for lunch was very, very worth it; Mana actually got them boxed lunches from the store so they could eat in a park. It was small, but the breeze ran through it freely, and Jin thought he felt just a little more of his strength returning. Even the healer seemed happy sitting out in the open, although in the sunlight, although Jin noticed that she looked a bit pale again. Ah, she'd take care of herself. She knew he was there if she needed the energy.

He sat back once his lunch was finished, looking up at the clouds. The human world had a nice sky, nicer than the one he was used to. He smiled to himself and flopped back into the grass. "Ya live in a good world here, ya know that?"

"Thanks." Mana sounded far away. He glanced over; she was actually staring up at the sky the same as he had been. "It's a nice day today."

Jin grinned in spite of himself. "Ya keep starin' up like that, it'll turn your eyes blue." Mana blinked and looked down at him. He leaned over to poke her lightly in the side. "Ya got pretty eyes as they are. Ya don't need to go dyin' 'em like that."

Mana looked away. "That's the silliest thing I've ever heard."

"Which part of it, though?" Jin sat up, poking her again. She squeaked lightly. "Come on, look over this way. It's not nice to ignore someone who's talkin' to ya."

Mana glanced his way briefly before doing a double take that should, by all rights, have pulled something in her neck. "What the hell?!" Jin pulled back, startled, only for the girl to lunge towards him and jerk the hat on his head down hard. "What the hell happened to your ears?!"

Oops. Wow... he'd made her swear... "Em... I probably shoulda told ya about that. They tend to stand out a little when I'm in a good mood..." Mana stared up at him in disbelief, her hands still firmly clasping the hat. Jin shifted. "Ah... sorry?"

"I don't believe you sometimes," the girl muttered. The redhead winced. That didn't sound too happy. "How long will it take for them to go back to normal?"

"Well, it's not so simple as all that. There's not exactly a set time on it, see? They just kinda do as they will." Mana sat back. Jin thought he heard her groan softly. He sighed. "Ya want to go home now, don't ya?"

"That's a bit harder to hide than the horn," Mana mumbled. "You should have warned me about that." She sounded... discouraged? Jin frowned. "We should probably head home before it gets worse."

"It won't." He reached over, tugging the girl by the arm as she tried to stand. "Let's not go just yet, please? I've got the hat on, and it's nice outside. I don't get to see nice places like this too often, not with a sky like that." Mana looked down at him uncertainly. Jin tugged harder; he didn't want to go back inside yet. "Please? Give me just a bit more time out here?"

Mana stared down at him... and then, to his surprise, she settled back down. "Fine. There aren't too many people around here anyway. But if it gets too noticeable, we're going home." She spoke firmly, in a no-nonsense tone. Jin nodded, relieved. He appreciated all the girl had done for him, but he needed to be out in the open wind a bit.

"Thanks, Mana. Yer a good lass."

A soft 'humph' was his only reply.

Later that evening, sitting on the balcony again, Jin gave his wind abilities a try. The air didn't want to bend the way it usually did to pick him up; he tried a few times, but there just wasn't enough pressure for a lift. The redhead frowned. He just needed to tap a little more power. If he could push a little harder past this stupid seal, he'd have it. He closed his eyes, focusing on the feel of the air around him. He knew the feeling of the wind, the way it bent around him, the way it enveloped him, the way the breeze mingled slightly with his breath. He knew it. Now he just needed to make it do what he said... The breeze picked up around him, swirling slightly, rocking the swing. Almost... almost... he closed his eyes. He almost had it. He almost had the wind back. He almost...

There was a sudden crashing sound from inside. Jin's concentration broke, his eyes flying open as his feet connected with the ground again. He couldn't have gotten more than an inch from the balcony floor, but an inch was still progress. He peered inside the door curiously. "Hey, are ya ahright in there?" There was no reply. Jin stepped inside. "Mana?" Again, there was only silence. Jin frowned, heading around towards the kitchen... and froze. The girl was on the ground, her face an ashen sort of white. She was unconscious. Jin's eyes went wide as he knelt down; the crash had been the plate she'd been holding falling to the floor. Reaching down, he took hold of the girl's forearm, feeling for her pulse. Her heartbeat wasn't strong, but at least it was steady. He took a deep breath, his eyes landing on the cord on his own wrist. Damn it. _Damn it._ What the hell had he done? His power hadn't been leaking through in it's own, it was happening because the seal had been cracking, because Mana was too _weak_ to hold him!

The girl stirred lightly. Jin held his breath, but she didn't wake up. Reaching down, he carefully pulled her into his arms and stood up. She seemed light enough as he carried her over to the couch, settling her down on the cushions as gently as he could. "Hey there... come on, wake up..." She stirred again. "Come on, Mana... come on, open yer eyes. I didn't mean to hurt ya, just open yer eyes." The girl shifted; he caught her shoulder, shaking it lightly. "Come on, just a little more..."

Pale violet greeted him. Mana's gaze met his slowly, as though it hurt her to focus. "You... broke it..."

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." Jin brushed her hair back from her face as she tried to sit up. "I thought it was just leakin' a bit. I didn't realize I was full out breakin' it."

Mana leaned heavily against the cushions. "I didn't... no one's ever broken the seal before..."

"I started feelin' strong again around yesterday. I didn't realize it was crackin' like that." The girl was trembling. Damn it... "Are ya gonna be okay?"

Mana nodded weakly, staring down at his wrist. Reaching forward, she took hold of the silver cord. Jin froze. She couldn't possibly have the strength to hurt him, right? "I guess there's no use for this any more, is there?" He shook his head slowly, not wanting to talk, afraid of making her change her mind. Mana studied the strip of silver for a moment before pinching it slightly... and slicing it clean through with her thumbnail. Jin stared as she settled back against the couch. _That_ was all it had taken? "What did you do?"

He swallowed. "I was tryin' to use my yoki. I could feel it there, I was just tryin' to get to it. I didn't realize it was gonna do that to ya..."

"Now you know, I guess..." Mana looked up at him and almost smiled. Jin stared at her. Was she trying to make him feel better, after what he'd done to her? "It's okay. It's my own fault. I underestimated you..." She shifted lightly, trying to sit up on her own. Jin pushed her back down. "Jin..."

"Yer stayin' right here until I'm sure yer okay." The girl stared up at him before giving him a tiny nod. He watched as she settled back down. "Do ya need anything?"

"I'm hungry." The girl's tone was soft but blunt as she looked him straight in the eye, and Jin realized with a start that she probably didn't need anything from the kitchen. He sighed. Well, fair was fair, right?

"Fine..." He couldn't resist. "But there's gonna be a condition for this." Mana stared at him blankly, not even bothering to ask what it was. Jin sighed. "I'll share my energy with ya, but ya gotta get me a better hat. That stupid thing itches."

Mana's mouth twitched weakly. "Deal."

"Good girl." Jin patted her on the head. "Yer gonna be okay now. I'm gonna make sure of that. It's only fair after ya've been helpin' me the way ya have."

And there it was; faint, but definitely there- a second smile in one day. It was different from the other two smiles he'd seen. It was quieter, more peaceful. But, as he told himself firmly, it still counted. It was definitely a smile.

He let her feed.


	6. Starting the Search

Well, I managed to get this chapter done without spending all evening on it for once. I feel pretty good about myself, actually. I only had about a thousand words left when I sat down this morning. Granted, that makes this a rather short chapter- it hardly tops out over five thousand. Oh, well. That's still good, right?

Okay, time for Aerie to rant. Here's the deal: when I write a fic using cannon characters, I tend to snatch up anything I can get my hands on that includes those characters to study them. So recently I had the chance to grab a couple of Yu Yu Hakusho games; Tournament Tactics, which I love, and Dark Tournament for Playstation 2. IF ANYONE CAN FIND ME INFORMATION ON HOW TO PLAY THIS STUPID PS2 GAME, I WOULD LOVE THEM FOREVER! I'm a devoted Nintendo girl; the Wii, the Gamecube, the entire Gameboy line... This Playstation controller thing is a mystery to me. And then there's the game itself; every character has individual combo codes for their moves. The button combo that unleashes fury with one character does NOTHING with another. So of course the game starts out training you until you're pretty much a pro with old Yusuke and then immediately throws you into a battle relying soley on Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, and the Masked Fighter, NONE OF WHICH YOU KNOW HOW TO USE YET! And training mode doesn't actually teach you to use the moves against something that's fighting back. So instead I tried out a little something called Arcade mode, which lets you take on a set series of characters, and discovered through beating up some stupid ogre that Arcade totally suits my training needs. And then it throws the second character in the lineup at me... and character two won't even keep his freaking feet on the ground...

Yep. You guessed it. I've had my ass handed to me by Jin more times in the last few days than I can even count.

First of all, as I said, the bastard's feet don't even touch the ground. That's enough to throw anybody off. He also gains his energy back way faster than old Yusuke, so he's throwing out the powerful moves more often; he can use his tornado fists pretty much any time he feels like it while you're crying for the energy to pull off the spirit gun just one more time. And then there's that wind barrier, the lovely little cyclone that sends me scrambling to the other side of the screen because if it hits you... just ouch. So of course he always does that when I'm in the middle of charging it. And then there's his crouching moves; you know, get down low and hit under your opponent's defenses. Well, aparently crouching when you're a foot off the ground is really hard, so instead Jin- you're going to love this- SITS DOWN A FOOT OFF THE GROUND and starts beating you up that way! I still haven't figured out how the guy kicks from a sitting position. I'm not even sure I _want_ to.

But wait, isn't this one of those awesome games where you can get behind your opponent and smack them that way? It is, but of course IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY AGAINST JIN! He has this... this kick... I don't know how else to describe it... that covers a full 360 degrees around him. How? Simple. He literally _does the splits in midair and spins_. It's cheap. And painful. Very, very painful. Poor Yusuke...

So usually I just run around like crazy waiting for him to start charging his tornado fists- thank goddess that takes a few seconds- and then I just shotgun him in the butt. Because here's the other really, really entertaining thing about fighting Jin- because he's up in the air, none of the hits land right. You can't hit his head unless you get really, really lucky. It's too high up there. Headshots all land on the chest. Shots that should land on the chest hit right around the stomach. And any blows intended for the stomach... well... you can guess from there. The guy is freaking resiliant. I've never met a guy who could take even one good shot to the crotch and stay standing and he's taken at least fifty... anyway, it makes it easy to run around him and hit him in the butt with the spirit shotgun. Until he does the splits. So the shotgun to the arse is usually reserved for when he's charging tornado fists, and of course he always seems to catch on to my plans and won't actually USE tornado fists then... Somebody get me a players guide, I need to figure out how to actually unlock this character and start using these evil, evil attacks on my own...

And the really pathetic part? Just when I get to the point where I'm ready to start screaming he does his little victory pose and I start laughing all over again...

Ah, crap, I'm supposed to be posting a chapter! Well, we've made it to chapter six pretty well. As always, the reviews and faves are a big boost to my personal happiness. I think this is a good time to note that Kaze no Fantasia has three distinct 'acts' to it. As it is, we're still in the middle of Act One... the initial meeting. The story does _not_ end when Jin finally tracks down Touya and goes home. So there's plenty of fun left to go around, I promise. Now let's shut me up and actually get on with the chapter already!

So let's go!

* * *

Monday afternoon was turning out to be rather quiet. Jin turned another page in the book he was reading. Mana had finally taken his bandages off and promised to start helping him search for Touya after school... starting tomorrow. Today, apparently, she had a bit of work to take care of herself.

"Hey, Jin? Can you do me a favor?" The wind master looked up from his book, curious. That was new; the girl didn't usually ask him for favors. He glanced towards the door of the apartment, waiting to see if she'd call again, before standing up to head inside. The apparition raised an eyebrow at the sight of the human girl; her hair was pulled up into a tight braid and she was wearing a gi with a dark green belt wrapped around it. That was new. She had also tugged the padded post and the floor mat out of the corner. "Could you please help me carry these up to the roof?"

The roof? "M'kay, sure. I can do that for ya." The roof sounded nice, actually. He hoisted up the column, following the blonde as she dragged the floor mat behind her. "Are ya sure ya should be exercisin' today? Ya did pass out yesterday..."

'I'm fine. I'm just doing physical training today." Mana locked her door once they were in the hallway and headed for the elevator. Jin followed along, resting the post on his shoulder and holding it in place with one hand. The healer stared at him. "That thing weighs over sixty pounds. How much can you lift?"

"Em... I'm not really sure." The redhead shrugged. "This don't feel all that heavy to me, to be honest with ya. Do ya have a hard time with it?"

"I have to roll it to the elevator," Mana muttered. "I can pick it up a bit, but I can't carry it."

"Well, ya are just a bit of a thing." Oops... now the girl was giving him a harsh look. "I mean, ya still got a lot of growin' to do, ya know?" Ah, jeez, now she just looked insulted. He sighed. "I bet by the time yer bigger yer gonna be able to pick this up and throw it at me head."

"Right." Mana stepped onto the elevator, her back to him. Jin sighed and followed her into the slight space. _That_ conversation could have gone better. Mana glanced over her shoulder at him. "Hey..."

"Yeah?" Jin wondered if he wanted to know why the girl's cheeks were turning pink. He watched as she shifted her grip on the folded mat. "Come on, wot ya got to say?"

Mana shifted again. "Thanks for looking after me last night..." Ah, jeez, the kid was _blushing_. Jin waited for her to keep going. She stared at the buttons on the wall the entire time. "I mean, I know it's probably a pain in the neck having to deal with me. I don't mean to be that way. So thanks..."

The wind master sighed. "Ya know, kid, sometimes I have a hard time tellin' if yer for real or not."

"What?" Okay, now the girl was looking at him. Jin couldn't help cracking a small grin.

"Ya heard me just fine, I'm thinkin'. The way ya act, sometimes a guy can't tell, ya know? One moment yer confident, and the next yer cheeks are about as rosy as mine own hair." Like right now, he thought with a silent chuckle. Mana had turned back to the panel of buttons- was staring at it as though waiting for it to display some sort of secret message, in fact- and was flushing darker than he'd ever actually seen her. He reached over and patted her on the head; that only made the condition worse. "See, right now I'm thinkin' ya best be sitting down somewhere. It can't be good to try and exercise with the blood all up in yer face like that."

"Jin... could you please just stop talking now?" Oh, that was cute, she was barely mumbling now. It made him want to try tousling her hair a bit, but the elevator doors opened and she was already heading out. He followed her, amused, onto the roof and looked around. Now this was a good place to be! The roof was wide and open, right up there in the sun, and the air was _nice_. He glanced over; Mana was unfolding the mat onto the ground. He set the padded pedestal down next to it. "Thank you. You can head back downstairs now, if you'd like."

"But it's nicer up here." Jin headed off to look down the front of the building. It was a pleasant looking street, not too busy, but not quiet enough as to be boring. _Nice_...

"Suit yourself..." Mana's reply sounded distant, like she wasn't quite focusing. Jin turned. The healer was sitting on the mat, doing stretching exercises. He walked over and sat in front of her.

"Do ya always come up here, then?" Mana looked up at him, blinking. "For the exercisin', I mean. Do ya always do this up on the roof?"

"There's more room here than in my apartment." The healer was practically doing the splits as she leaned over to grab one of her own feet, resting her forehead on her knee in the process. "I come up here when it's warm enough, which is pretty much any time but winter."

"Wot all do ya do?" Jin shifted, getting himself more comfortable; the ground was not only rather cold, but it was a bit too hard to sit on easy. Mana swung over to the other leg without actually raising her body. The redhead raised an eyebrow. Flexible... Then again, he noted, her legs weren't entirely straight out. Her angle needed some work. He was about to suggest it when she actually answered him.

"I do stretching work, then a bit of acrobatic exercise, then I practice strikes on the post, and then I finish it off with kata." After a moment, Mana swung back around to the original leg. "I took gymnastics from the time I was five until I was ten, and I've been in karate since I was seven. Any more questions?"

"Nah, not really." Not yet, anyway. Jin watched her go back and forth a few times and trying to do the math in his head. The belt around her waist had a set of three black lines at the end of it. Third degree green out of how many, though? There were too many forms of martial arts in the human realm to guess. "Hey, wot kind of karate are ya takin', anyway?"

There was a sigh. "I thought you said you were done with the questions."

"I was, but I was tryin' to figure out yer belt there..."

"Gojo Ryu Karate-do. The techniques are half soft-style Chinese, half hard Okinawan fighting. The belt order is white, yellow, orange, blue, purple, three degrees of green, three degrees of brown, and ten degrees of black." Mana switched directions again. "And I'm told that there's also red after black, but the highest degree I've met was a sixth degree black belt." Mana sat up and stared at him. "How are you doing that?"

Jin was too busy trying to calculate how often she promoted to figure that one out. That came out pretty solidly to once a year... "Doin' what now?"

Mana pointed. "Jin, you're sitting a full foot off the ground."

"Oh, right." Jin shrugged. "It's just somethin' I do. I don't much care for sittin' on a ground that hard. The air is softer, so I sit on that instead."

The blonde stared up at him. "You're just a little crazy, aren't you?"

Jin grinned. "Ya mean yer only just figurin' that one out, then?" Mana looked totally unimpressed as she pulled her feet in. He watched as she touched the bottoms together and slowly started pushing her knees to the floor. "So why do ya train in a fighting style that's half an' half that way?"

"As opposed to what, straight beating people up?" Mana bent forward and touched her head to her feet. Jin stared; he didn't even think _he_ could do that. "The softer moves are good for hitting an opponent that's just tried to strike you. Some of my favorite blocks are designed to strike at the same time."

"Ah." So she was fond of using her own opponent's strength, then. That was probably a good idea for a girl like her. Jin settled back a bit, giving her some more room to work with. Mana went from basic sitting stretches to a few standing ones, and then- and suddenly Jin was glad for the gi- she did a hand stand. The demon tilted his head. "Ya got good balance."

"I work at it." The girl looked like she was focusing pretty hard as she did the splits up-side down. "I have to stay in top physical shape to become a full-fledged spirit detective." Mana swung her legs back down and walked to the end of the mat. "I'm not that big, so instead I have to be fast and agile."

"That makes sense." Jin watched as the girl did a few somersaults. "Yer so light, if somebody landed a good hit on ya they'd knock ya clean away."

"Gee. Thanks." Oops, there was that flat tone again. Jin sighed and stood up. Mana looked at him blankly. "What are you doing?"

"Provin' a point." Jin reached over, seizing the blonde by the waist, and hoisted her up. Mana yelped. "I'm not tryin' to insult ya or anything when I say yer small. I'm just sayin' that yer a young girl with a lot of growing to do. I'm pointin' out a fact, nothin' more than that."

"That's nice, now put me down!" Jin ignored her, tossing her lightly over his shoulder.

"See, it's like ya don't weigh nothin' to me at all. Yer wot, maybe a hundred pounds?"

"That's none of your business!" Mana tried to strike him from her position; he jostled her lightly, throwing her aim off.

"Come on, now, no need to be so hostile about it. All I'm tryin' to say is yer just a-" Mana bit him in the back. Jin very nearly dropped her on her head, just barely managing to keep a hold. "Ahright, ahright, I get the idea. I'll put ya down now."

"Thank you!" Mana smacked him once her feet were back on the mat. "Don't you ever do that again!"

"Well, fine, but you have to stop being insulted over somethin' so silly as that." Jin gave her a light poke. "It's not good for ya, getting' all up at arms about little things. There's always somethin' bigger to worry about, no need to get mad over stuff ya can't help."

The girl's hands clenched and unclenched a few times before she turned away from him resolutely. "Fine. Just... leave me alone about it, okay?"

"Ahright..." Hmm. Well, that was definitely a sensitive point. Jin sat quietly in the sunlight while Mana did more of her exercises. The air was so crisp and clear up here, it was easy to get lost to time. Staring up at the clouds, watching the sky behind them change colors at twilight, the wind master didn't even realize he was hungry until Mana tapped him on the shoulder. He blinked. "Eh?"

"It's time to go in." Mana stood straight. "Could you please get the stand?"

"Yeah, that's easy enough." Mana headed for the elevator, tugging the mat. Jin walked behind her with the post. It seemed like a fair trade, hauling this thing to the roof for some time in the sun. Mana headed off to her room with a brief 'thanks' over her shoulder, so he put the stand back in the corner himself. The girl seemed to have calmed down during the rest of her exercising. Her stature seemed to be a big deal to her, so he probably shouldn't bring it up again. He wanted his dinner, after all.

Mana did do the cooking once she was cleaned up, heading to her room shortly afterward dinner. Jin listened carefully, but he didn't hear her cough that night. She seemed to be doing better now that she had some energy in her. That was good. He didn't like having to worry over things like that. She was a nice girl, and she worked hard. It didn't seem fair to him that she should get sick that way just for doing a good thing. He'd have to find some way to thank her for taking care of him...

* * *

Mana spent most of Tuesday's school hours letting her mind wander. Today she was supposed to help Jin look for that friend of his. Her pencil wandered over the paper of the notebook in front of her, never actually touching down. It was a skill she'd worked out quickly when she'd started middle school; Hachiko always let her copy notes anyway, if she really had more important things to think about. How to find a stray demon was definitely more important today. She really should have asked Jin more about this Touya guy, but the fact was she just hadn't been thinking clearly at the time. The healer tapped her pencil against the desk, eyeing the clock as the teacher assigned homework. She was on her feet the moment the bell rang. It seemed like school was lasting longer and longer every day...

She had only gotten as far as the school gates when she heard the shout. "Hey! Koyama, wait up!" The blonde flinched. Hadn't they agreed _never_ to be caught speaking to each other in school? She scowled inwardly, but managed to work up a more agreeable look on her face before she turned. After all, if she couldn't find Touya on her own in the next week or so she could very well have to ask _him_ for help...

"Urameshi." The black-haired spirit detective ran over, not even slightly winded by the sprint. Mana sighed inwardly. "What seems to be the rush?"

"I needed to catch you before you left. Loan me your demon compass, would you?" He shifted, obviously not pleased about having to ask the favor. Mana sighed softly.

"First tell me what happened to yours."

"Does it really matter?" Oh, good, now he sounded irritated. Mana scolded herself inwardly; that reduced her chances of getting aid later. "It broke."

"Can't you just ask Botan for another one?" Mana shifted her bookbag on her shoulder. "Or is this not the first one you've broke?"

Yusuke Urameshi actually almost flinched. It was a tiny tic, but she definitely caught it. "They're too flimsy for the stuff I go up against. It's not my fault I break them. I'm not the one dealing with the standard D's, you know." It was Mana's turn to cringe now. Of _course_ he would remind her. Urameshi got to fight in the big leagues while she was stuck as support. Mana turned on her heel, feeling a sudden surge of resolve. The hell she would ever ask him for help! She'd find Touya on her own!

"Sorry, I kind of need mine myself. You should talk to Botan about getting a stronger model. Maybe the tools the defense force uses could work on your targets if they're that powerful." She started walking before he could try to argue it out of her. "Now if you'll pardon me, I have a lot of work to take care of today."

"Right." She glanced over her shoulder; now he was staring at her. Finally, Urameshi turned. "I'll talk to Botan, then. It probably wouldn't have worked anyway."

Ugh...

She made it home without further incident, climbing up the fire escape to get to her apartment. To her surprise, the balcony was empty. Mana stared towards the open door. "Jin?"

"'Ello there!" The blonde blinked at the reply... from up above her. She managed to step back just as her houseguest vaulted down from the roof. What had he been doing up there? "Saw ya comin' today, I did. Are we gonna be headin' out soon?"

"Yeah, just let me get changed first." Mana dropped her bag by the door as she stepped inside. "I hate going out in my uniform. I hope you don't mind."

"Not a problem, I guess." Jin leaned against the doorframe. "I'll wait for ya out here."

"Sure thing." Mana headed to her room. The first step was untying those stupid braids. She sighed, staring into her mirror. She wanted to be taken seriously in life. No one would take a girl in pigtails seriously. Yanking the bands from her hair, she pulled the plaits out and shook her hair loose. There, she was feeling better already. Sighing softly, she grabbed a jean skirt and a floral blouse from her dresser. It wasn't easy to be convincingly innocent all the time. She eyed the tiny blossoms on the shirt, small, inconspicuous... sometimes she was kind of jealous of Urameshi. He honestly didn't _care_ what people said about him. If he was gone from school for days or weeks at a time and people started badmouthing him for it, he didn't care. If he actually came in with some sort of mysterious injury and rumors started spreading, he just shrugged it off. Yusuke Urameshi let people talk without being bothered. Mana shook herself suddenly. That was nothing to admire; that just meant he was an idiot who didn't think about his future. It wasn't confidence, it was stupidity. She didn't have to be envious of that.

It didn't take her long to get ready to head out. The important thing was to look natural, as if this was just an afternoon out on the town. Hair clips and lip gloss were a girl's best friends. She sighed. She hated it sometimes...

By the time she headed back out into the living room she was perfectly composed. Jin was counting on her to get home, and she needed to keep her focus on that. The redhead was sitting out on the balcony, looking towards the end of the alley. Honestly, she was a little jealous of him, too. He was so lively all the time; he seemed more and more active every day now that he was finally recovering. No wonder he'd managed to break the seal; standing where she was, she could clearly sense his yoki. It had to have been the poison that had made him weak enough for her to seal, she decided. Had he been this strong then, she would never have been able to tie it off. "Are you ready to go?"

Jin turned, and the healer wondered what it was he was smiling so brightly about. "Yeah, I've been ready most all day." He headed for the fire escape. Mana clicked her tongue, and he turned back. "Wot?"

"Your hat?" She picked it up off the coffee table. "We'll stop and get you a better one, but for now you need to wear this, okay?"

"Oh, ahright..." He took the cap from her hands, shoving it down over his head with a scowl. "The thing's uncomfortable, though. And it's a girl's hat, isn't it?"

"It's an androgynous hat." Mana crossed the gap to the stairs. "No one will ever guess it's a girl's hat. It's too neutral."

"Yer still makin' me wear a girl's hat," the apparition grumbled. Mana almost felt herself smile; that accent of his still seemed kind of cute, even if the origins were a complete mystery to her. Maybe if she asked he'd tell her about where he was from? It was worth a try; Jin had been pretty good with information so far. She headed down the stairs and then the ladder, dropping to the ground below. "So where're we gonna be lookin' today?"

"That depends." Mana moved to the side so he could get down; Jin actually dropped from the top of the ladder. "What's your friend like, anyway? It could give us an idea of where he'd go for shelter."

"If I know Touya, he'll be somewhere cool." Jin shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He seemed to enjoy wearing them, Mana noted. "Touy, he's an ice user. He don't like it so much when the weather's too warm." The demon huffed lightly. "Honestly, though, the weather lately's been kind that way. Not too hot for him to be out comfortably. He could be anywhere, based on that." Jin looked towards the street. "Although if I had to guess, I'd say he'd be somewhere near the parks and things," and at this a wry grin spread across his face, "because he'd probably be out there lookin' for me afore I can go causin' trouble."

Mana stared. "Somehow, that makes a lot of sense."

Jin nodded cheerfully. "Touya's the responsible type."

"So what's he look like?" Mana headed towards the street. 'Could be anywhere' wasn't enough to go with, so she might as well start with the theory that Touya would be looking for Jin. "Is he distinctive at all?"

"I guess so, yeah." Jin fell into step next to her. "If I had to call it, I'd say he's right about your size. Not the biggest guy, Touya. I still wouldn't recommend crossin' him, though. Ya look at him and there's just something there that's unsettlin' like. Personally I've always thought it was the eyes." The redhead tilted his head. "Never did figure out how the eyes worked."

Mana wasn't sure she wanted to know, but if it would help Jin she had to ask. "What do you mean by that? Is something wrong with his eyesight?"

"No, his sight's just fine. That's what's always puzzled me, actually. You see, Touya's eyes don't got any pupils." Jin paused to look around while Mana tried to picture that. "He hasn't been in this area any time lately."

"How can you tell?" No, she couldn't picture the eyes. She'd seen demons with eyes that had looked like nothing but pupils, big black voids, but never ones that lacked them entirely. She sighed and looked over at the apparition; he was looking around, trying to decide which way to go. He hadn't heard her. "Jin, how do you know he hasn't been here?"

"It's the air." Jin started down the street. Mana tagged along, trying to keep up with his long strides. "It's somethin' I've learned to sense. Whenever Touy's been about the wind has this little edge of chill to it. It's not yer usual cold breeze, it feels too unnatural-like. I've always found it to be pretty useful, helps me keep track of him." The apparition looked back at him. "Where do ya think we should go from here?"

The truth was, Mana didn't have the slightest idea where to start. She sighed. She couldn't very well tell Jin that. He was looking at her with wide, hopeful blue eyes. "Well... there's one area in town that's kind of nice. It's mostly shops and things, it would be an easy place to hide and find food. If I were stuck in a strange town, those are the first two things I would look for; food and shelter in a safe location, away from trouble. We can try that district for today."

Jin nodded. "Lead the way, then!"

Three hours later, they'd found nothing. Mana sighed, settling onto a bench. "I guess he's not in this area. We can try somewhere new tomorrow."

"That sounds good." Jin didn't seem bothered as he flopped down next to her. "We'll find 'im by and by, no sense worryin' over it." The girl was glad he was so confident. She certainly wasn't. How could they have even been sure that Touya was _in_ this city? Mana stared at the ground in front of her. There had to be a better way to do this than blind searching. Vaguely she wondered if she could ask Kurama for help; of all of Urameshi's crew, he was the most likely to give her the time of day. He was also the smartest in the group. The problem was, she'd have to ask Urameshi how to get in contact with him... Mana was startled by a sudden poke to her ribs. "You in there?"

"Ah... yeah." Mana shifted slightly. Why did he _do_ that? "Just planning out where we go from here. If we don't find him in a week, I'm going to enlist some help, I think."

Jin was actually quiet. Mana turned; he was looking at her with an unnervingly thoughtful expression. "That sounds okay with me," he said finally. She blinked as the redhead reached over and ruffled at her hair. "I don't mind hangin' out here a bit. It's a nice place."

Mana pulled away from his hand, noting with dismay that the action only seemed to amuse him. "That's good. Are you hungry?"

"Starvin'. Only do ya think we could maybe finally get a different hat first? This one really is getting' annoying. It's startin' to itch at me."

"Oh, all right." Mana got to her feet. "I saw a place back a block and a half or so that should have something you'd like. Come on."

Jin actually whistled as he followed her. Mana wasn't sure what to think of his perpetual carefree attitude; wasn't he concerned for his friend or for whether or not he'd be able to go home? The girl cringed inwardly. What on earth was _she_ going to do if they couldn't find him a way home? She couldn't hide him forever. She had nowhere to send him, though, if her father were to come home unexpectedly or... she winced at the prospect... if Botan were to pop by unexpectedly like she sometimes did. Just how much trouble _would_ she be in if Spirit World found out she'd decided to randomly harbor a high-class demon without telling them about it? What kind of punishment was there for that?

Then again, what kind of punishment would there be for Jin and his friends if Spirit World found out the barrier was being breached that easily? Either way, this was not an easy situation...

The next surprise poke made her yelp. "Jin! Stop it!"

The apparition ignored her protests. "How far did ya say the shop was, now?"

"About a block and a half." Mana blinked. Oh... fiznit. They'd passed it. "Sorry. It's back this way."

Jin reached over to poke at her again. The blonde scowled and swatted his hand away. "Ya doin' okay there? Ya seem distracted."

"I'm just thinking." Mana stopped in front of a small clothing shop. "Here. This place is big on accessories. They should have _something_ you can wear."

"Sounds good." The redhead stopped, eyeing the storefront. "Em... are ya really expectin' me to go in there, though? Seems a bit flowery. It don't seem like the kind of place where I'd even find somethin' wearable..."

The healer scowled. "If you don't go in, then you'll just have to live with what I pick out for you."

"I'm goin', I'm goin'." Mana followed Jin inside, sighing softly to herself. Did he mean to give her a hard time, or did it just sort of happen? She was really getting tired of being poked all the time! She waited as Jin meandered around the store, eventually coming back over to her with a funny little hat in his hands. She stared at it; it was sort of a tweedy little thing, almost like a beret, but it also had a little bit of a rim to it. For the life of her, she wasn't even sure what a hat like that was called. "Do ya think this'll work?"

"I guess so." Mana took the tag to pay for the hat, heading back outside when she was done. Jin was waiting; the first thing he did was shove the old cap at her. The blonde rolled her eyes. "Do you hate it that much?"

"I told ya, it itches!" Well, the new cap did suit him better, she decided as she looked him over. How was it that he was so energetic all the time? She envied that, the way he seemed to just let everything roll by him. "So are we goin' back to eat now, or are we gettin' somethin' while we're out here?"

"We'll get something here in town." Mana didn't feel like cooking. The fact of the matter was, sometimes it just annoyed her. It was polite to cook for people, she knew, but that didn't mean she wanted to do it every night. "Have you ever had sushi before?"

"Mebe once or twice." Jin fell into step next to her as she started walking. "Hey, Mana?"

"Yeah?" Why did he always call her by her first name, anyway? Mana had never known a demon could be as _friendly_ as Jin was. Most of the demons she had ever encountered had viewed humans as food sources, tools, playthings, or at the very least lesser beings. Actually in Jin's case humans did seem to be a form of entertainment, now that she though about it. The way he was always teasing her was a good example, and he'd done the same thing to Sachiko. That wasn't a promising thought...

"Thanks for helpin' me out like ya have been." The girl blinked, startled enough to stop walking as the apparition reached over and rested a hand on top of her head. "Ya don't find a lot of people who're willin' to stick their neck out for someone they don't even know out like that, not in your world and not in mine. Ya got a rare kind of kindness about ya."

Mana swallowed. No one had ever said anything that... that _nice_ to her before. Damn it, she had to say something now. "Thanks... that... that means a lot to me." As soon as the words left her mouth she realized with a start that it was the truth. It _did_ mean a lot to hear someone say something kind to her for a change. She glanced over; Jin was waiting for her to start walking again with that same carefree expression on his face he always had. Mana felt her cheeks flush as she tried to look him in the eye. "You're a very rare kind of person yourself," she mumbled, giving up at last and hurrying along down the sidewalk. The redhead laughed.

"Yeah, I guess I am. I mean it, though. Yer a good girl."

He started teasing her again not even ten minutes later... but somehow, Mana discovered, she no longer minded at all...


	7. A New Kind of Headache

Hello everyone! It's Saturday evening, and we all know what that means; update time! There are a couple of things I want to cover before we begin, so let's get that out of the way now. First of all, it becomes apparent in this chapter that Kaze no Fantasia does _not_ follow the canon Yu Yu Hakusho storyline completely. The story does take place after the Dark Tournament, and in fact breaks continuity pretty much at the start of season four; the final battle with Sensui. In the standard Hakusho storyline- oh, crap, spoilers ahead- Yusuke is killed fighting Sensui and is revived by the Mazuku, ancient demon DNA in his own body. He comes back as a half-demon, is fired by the spirit world, and goes to hang out in the Makai for a while to meet his ancestral father, Raizen. In Kaze no Fantasia's timeline, that last battle with Sensui ended differently; at the age of fifteen Yusuke is still a spirit detective despite the Mazuku... or however you spell that, I just realized I don't really know... and after a few really bad battles Koenma thought it might be best to add a healer to his team; hence how Mana became involved with the group. As for Jin and company, in the canon storyline the six Dark Tournament fighters- Jin, Touya, Chu, Rinku, Suzuka, and Shishiwakamaru- actually trained under Genkai for about a year before going back to the demon world. I kept that canon, although their reasons for going back are _not_ the same as the ones from the anime because, obviously, things happened a little differently... heh heh... poor Yomi... he should be grateful for that...

Also, since none of the Dark Tournament fighters have much in the way of backstories, I've had to take a few creative liberties with old Jin here. I tried to make them as logical as possible... which is a pain in the arse when the subject in question is where the hell he got that accent. But I think I did okay on that. Thank you.

I unlocked Jin on Dark Tournament for PS2 the other day- ya'all remember my rant about that game, don't you? Funny story, how I got Jin. I was playing arcade mode, smacking down Chu... good old Yusuke had an easy battle there... and lo and behild, I unlocked a character. It was none other than... Risho! Risho has to be my least favorite character in the whole bloody series, and he's definately the last character I would EVER play as, the dead last, for god's sake I'd just written a paragraph or two emphasizing what an idiot he was... so... well... I was not a happy girl. So I did what any good gamer does... I went online and got the cheat code to unlock every single character. When I'm not playing as Jin I've discovered I'm also pretty vicious as Touya; his ice sword combos flow nicely and don't even interfere with his other moves, so if there's an opponent I can't beat with one of them I try it with the other instead and I do pretty good. I just hope I never have to play against anyone who has the balls to have a go as Shishi. Characters that damage themselves to attack usually have some nasty ways of balancing that out...

And for anyone with a Gameboy Advance, I would definitely recommend getting Tournament Tactics just for one piece of dialogue. There's a scene where Touya compliments Yukina on her ability to control the cold and comments that with training, she could become a real ice master someday. Yukina says the compliment makes her happy, but she really only wants to protect her friends. Touya tells her that this is humbling, but that he can still tell she could be capable of great power, and he asks if there's anyone else in her family that has that sort of power... at which point Hiei jumps in and drags her off because there's more fighting to do, and Touya is left observing that Hiei isn't the most patient person. Now, the logical idea would be that Hiei doesn't want Yukina mentioning her missing brother, but my personal theory is that he just doesn't like this guy talking to his sister. Too cute. Really, it's worth it to get the game just for that.

And if you do get the game, and if you get to the last level, I can tell you how to level your whole party to max without actually fighting. And it's not a cheat! All it takes is leveling Jin or Hiei just right...

Well, I've rambled enough; it's time to get on with the chapter. We actually get a bit of history about two characters in this one; we finally learn a little about where Jin came from, and we also get to understand a bit more about Mana's past and how it shaped her into who she is today. Thanks as always for the reviews and faves; they really do make me that happy. So let's go!

* * *

Mana's chest was burning. Hugging her pillow to her, she fought back tears at the effort it was taking not to choke. For two nights now she'd managed to fight the feelings of nausea back. Tonight it looked like she was loosing the battle. She clung to the padded fabric, forcing herself to breathe evenly. Steady, even breathing, that was the key. She could fight this. She could be alright.

It didn't work. Mana held back the bile between pressed lips as she dove for her can. Damn it. _Damn it!_ The coughing shook her entire body this time, the scent of her own fluids sharp in the air. She knew she should have asked for help, but she just couldn't. She'd never get any stronger if she just relied on other people. She'd been lower than this before and made it through on her own. She'd be okay...

There was a gentle hand on her back. "Now see, wot are ya doin' that again for? For the life of me, I don't see how ya get along on yer own. Come on, drink up."

_Damn it..._ Mana took the glass Jin held out to her, drinking obediently. At this rate she'd never convince him she was doing better. She didn't like that sort of situation. It didn't sit well with her. "Thank you..."

She felt him settle onto the mattress next to her. His hand was firm as he rubbed up and down her spine; it was more comforting than it was frightening, but it was still unnerving to her that he was bold enough to get that close. Why shouldn't he be bold, though, she thought wryly, she was pathetic right now. She was of no threat to him, not even if she'd wanted to be. He knew that. He was the threat. And yet somehow she couldn't bring herself to be afraid of him anymore. Mana sighed. She'd gotten herself into a very strange situation...

Her stomach clenched suddenly. Mana's eyes widened as she bent back over the bucket, the glass slipping from her hands. Jin's hand tightened around her shoulder, the other one catching the vessel before it could land on her bed. "Easy now. Yer gonna be okay." He waited until she was done coughing to hold the glass back up. "Finish this up now."

Mana did as she was told. Jin sat, watching over her, until the cup was empty. "Thanks," she mumbled again. "You don't have to keep doing this."

The redhead scowled lightly. "I don't know wot kinda people ya know, but I can only listen to something like that so many times afore I start actin'. I woulda thought ya might be the kinda lass who understood that, goin' by yer own actions."

"Did you come in to scold me?" Mana set the glass on her nightstand before she could drop it again. "I'm not in the mood for that right now..."

"Nah." Mana stared down at her hands and heard Jin sigh lightly. "Well, it is some improvement, right? Yer not doin' this quite so much any more." He patted her lightly below the shoulders. "Ya think yer ahright now?"

"I think so." She turned away, settling into her bed. Jin reached over to pull the covers around her neck, and Mana had to bite back a scowl. She was too old for that sort of thing. "I wish you'd stop doing that."

"It's not hurtin' ya any." Damn it, Jin's voice had an almost hypnotic quality when she was that tired. She peeked up at him from under the blankets; he was smiling. "See? Yer all nice and cozy now. Ya got nothin' to feel ill about any more, so now it's time to sleep."

No... she didn't want to sleep yet... "Why do you talk like that?"

Jin seemed startled by the question. "Ya mean the accent?" Mana nodded. "Wow... ya know, I don't get asked that quite as often as ya'd think. Wot makes ya want to know?"

"I'm just curious." And besides, she thought, it seemed like the easiest question to start with. Jin tilted his head, settling onto the foot of her bed the way he usually did. "It's not something I've ever heard before, except for in movies..."

Jin laughed softly. "No, I guess ya wouldn't have. Would ya believe me if I said my mother grew up here, in your world?"

Mana blinked. "It's been known to happen. The barriers weren't always there."

The redhead nodded, a strange sort of wistful look on his face. "When I was born, she came back. Didn't want an infant in a world like the one I be livin' in now, in the demon world. The Makai, it's not a safe place. She took me, and she went back to the land she'd grown up in." He smiled wryly. "We got ourselves chased back when I was just a lad. My mother, she was a pretty one, but she turned the wrong sort of heads. I couldn't've been more than eight or ten when we left. I don't really remember much about that place, but I guess the talk stuck with me. My mother, she talked the same way, so I heard it for the rest of my growin' up. It just seemed natural."

Mana frowned lightly, wondering how old he was but deciding not to ask. "What happened to your mother?"

The apparition's expression darkened. "Haven't seen her in years, to be honest with ya. I was already on my own long afore I ever joined up with the shinobi." Mana blinked; had she heard that right? "Good woman, my mother. Ya don't find many people willin' to work hard in a world where ya don't get much for it."

The girl nodded quietly. "Who are the shinobi?"

"Eh, ya want to know 'bout that now, too?" Jin blinked. "Can't believe I didn't tell ya 'bout them sooner, actually. I don't have much to do with them now; the group I was part of, it fell under kinda a bad leader. Risho, he was a bit too willing to sell out, Forgot wot honor meant, that one did. Guess there're a few bad ones in every group, though, right?"

"Right..." Mana was starting to feel drowsy. "So what'd you do, exactly?"

"We did wotever we were needed for doin'." Jin flopped onto his back suddenly. "We would take care of things, disputes and the like, for whoever could pay the price. I guess it was interestin' enough a life, although a body gets tired of hidin' in the dark all the time. Didn't stop us from makin' a reputation, though. We became a pretty well-known lot, and I was glad for the diversion. Got into some good fights." The redhead was quiet for several moments; Mana rolled over to see him better. "An' then I guess we set our sights too high. We tried to take a tournament for a bit o' land in this world here, and got the floors wiped with our backsides." There was a wry smile creeping across his face. "Was a spirit detective that did it, too. Good enough guy, but man did his team take us for a ride, and they had the disadvantage. Yer a mean bunch, ya detective folk."

"The only other spirit detective I know is a complete moron," Mana muttered. Jin raised an eyebrow.

"That bad, is he?" He sounded amused. Mana scowled under her blanket.

"You have no idea. He's condescending and rude and honestly, I don't see how he gets a single thing done, because he's stupid to boot."

The redhead looked highly entertained. "Ya don't think too much of him, do ya?"

"Not at all."

She heard a soft chuckle as her eyes began to drift shut against her will. "The guy I met, he was ahright. Pretty decent fellow, actually. I liked him. I've been wantin' a rematch pretty bad, but to be honest with ya I'd kinda like to get some more trainin' in first. A real brawler, that one is, and from what a fellow picks up it's like he just gets stronger and stronger." There was a moment of silence. "Ya in there, Mana?"

"Yeah..." The girl opened her eyes. "Sorry. I'm still listening. So the shinobi fell apart after this tournament?"

Jin's mouth twitched. "They might as well have, to hear Risho talkin' of it. We lost one of our best that day, and another that honestly I was kinda glad to see go. After the lengths Risho'd stooped to tryin' to buy us a win, me and Touya didn't much care to put up with him, so we walked out and let him go back to the rest on his own. It was a hard blow to Risho; now most of the others don't much care to listen to his plans any more. From what me and Touya picked up there's talk of a coup in the ranks, so Risho's been tryin' to get us back on his side. That's how we ended up here; he caught up to us for a chat and someone knew he was comin' along that way."

"Then shouldn't you be worried about getting him back?"

"Nah, I just want to find Touy. We might actually go back if Risho's gone and been killed, I don't rightly know. It was a pretty okay life, and we had some interestin' times. One time, I can remember..."

But Mana fell asleep before the story was through, and couldn't remember it when she woke up the next morning.

* * *

Thinking about it as he lay awake in bed, Jin decided he really was starting to like that little human. She was a nice girl and usually a pretty smart one, too, although that afternoon he'd had the distinct feeling that she had no idea of where she was going or what she was doing. Still, she'd been trying pretty hard, and that counted for something. He hadn't been just fooling when he'd said she was a good girl. Actually, her reaction kind of got to him just a little bit. The way she'd reacted, a person would think no one had ever said anything pleasant about her before. It made him more curious about her than he already was. Damn, he wished he'd had a chance to read that diary...

He was actually awake before Mana left for school that morning. Jin kept an eye on the girl as he ate his breakfast; she seemed to be doing a little bit better than last night. "So where are we gonna be doin' today?"

Mana didn't look up at him as she packed her book bag. "First I have to go out for a while. The twins and I usually get ice cream on Wednesdays." The girl paused, setting her bag down and looking over at him curiously. "Have you ever had ice cream before?"

"Ah... no, that's not a familiar one." Jin had to resist the urge to tug a braid as she sat down next to him to eat. "Wot is it?"

"It's a desert, or a snack. Would you like to come with us? That way you and I could head out from there."

"That sounds good." Jin lost the battle and reached over, catching one of her braids. Mana scowled lightly; he gave her an innocent look in return. "Ya know, ya need to be careful with these. Turn your head too fast and ya could really hurt someone with them."

"That's nice. Could you please let go now?" The girl tried to pull away slightly. Jin released her hair.

"So I should be ready to head out when ya get home from school again?"

"That would work the best." Mana actually cleared her plate faster than he did, jumping up to grab her bag. "I'll see you this afternoon, then, okay?" He nodded and waved, and she left through the front door. Jin watched her go. Now what was he going to do with the day?

He ended up spending most of the morning reading. He was almost done with the series Mana had recommended; it was actually pretty neat. He just worried about what he was going to do once he was done with it. It was nice that he was able to get out more now, but he was still bored a lot when Mana was in school. Sighing, he flopped back on the balcony swing. At least the sun was nice...

Jin woke with a start to Mana looking down at him. The girl had a lightly amused expression on her face as she tapped one foot on the ground lightly. "You're not ready to go yet, are you?"

"Em... mostly, yeah... when did ya get home?"

"I climbed up just now." The girl was already pulling her braids out. "I'm going to let Sachi and Hachi in the front door and then get changed, okay? Try not to cause too much trouble with Sachi today."

"Right." Jin stuck his tongue out once Mana's back was turned. After a moment he heard voices at the front door; apparently the twins didn't like coming up the stairs outside. The only thing he really needed to go out was his hat, and Mana would probably bring that out herself, so he waited where he was. To his surprise, one of the black-haired girls actually joined him. He stared, trying to figure out which one it was. They were identical, damn it... "Em... 'ello there."

"Hello." Oh, this one was cheerful. It must have been Hachiko. "Mana has been looking better lately. Thank you for taking care of her."

"Yer welcome..." The girl sat next to him on the swing. That confirmed it; this was Hachi. The other one wouldn't have gotten within poking range. This was the one he had to be wary of.

"Mana said you're coming with us today." The girl was short enough that her feet didn't touch the ground when she sat back; she swung her legs lightly back and forth instead. "Are you worried about finding your friend?"

"I'm not worried any about Touya bein' safe; he can take care of himself. But if I don't find Touy, I can't go home. Gonna be in a lot of trouble if I can't go home, I am..."

The human nodded, staring up at him with a curious sort of expression on her face. The apparition stared back , and she giggled suddenly. "I think I can tell what the hat was for."

"Been there my whole life, that has. Mana insists I be coverin' it up afore I go out, otherwise she won't let me leave." Well, so far she didn't seem intent on asking any favors, which meant she probably wasn't going to make any threats, either. And that meant that maybe he could ask a question or two that had been bugging him. "Hey, how come ya didn't warn me about how Mana feeds?"

"Would you have offered to help her if you'd known?" Hachi's legs swung back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. "You're lucky she did it the nice way. The alternative hurts."

Jin raised an eyebrow. "And just wot would the alternative to kissin' a guy be?"

"Biting." She almost sounded gleeful. "Energy runs through the body on the inside and you learn to pull it out, right? If Mana can bite through someone's skin and get to their blood, she can drain them that way." He must have made a face, because she continued quickly. "She doesn't actually drink your blood or anything, though. She just has to be able to get to it, because that's where the energy is. I think the dumbest thing you could probably ever do is voluntarily put a hand over her mouth. She takes good care of her teeth. Her mother taught her to."

"Ya knew her mother?"

The legs stopped swinging. "Yeah, I knew Aunt Jennifer. That's what she had Sachi and I called her, Aunt Jennifer. We knew her and Mana since back when we were just babies."

Jin nodded. "Her other friends must be jealous, if you get to know a girl that long."

Hachiko stared at him, an almost startled look crossing her features. "Other... no, that's not a problem at all. Mana... Mana doesn't _have_ any friends other than us."

The redhead stared. "Not even a one?"

"Not even one." Hachi sighed. "And honestly, she probably wouldn't even bother being close to us if we hadn't known each other for so long. Mana's not exactly social."

Jin shifted slightly. On the one hand, the conversation was starting to make him uncomfortable. On the other hand, his own natural curiosity was kicking in, in a big way. "How'd ya meet her, then?"

The girl sat back, her legs swinging again. "My mother told me this story, because we were all maybe about a year old then. None of us remember it, but years ago Mana moved into the same apartment building my family lives in, her and her parents. It was our mothers that met first. Spiritual power runs through our family the same way it runs through Mana's, and my mother has the bad habit of attracting wandering spirits. She's not powerful enough to actually help them in any way, so she usually just ignores them until they go away. But there was a particularly stubborn spirit that followed her around for a good few months without leaving. Mom inherited her abilities from her father, he's the strongest one in our family, and honestly she was about ready to ask him for help, when one day Mana's mother came up to her in the laundry room. 'I know you're probably not going to believe me,' she told Mom, 'but there's a dark force following you around. It's been there for a while now. I really think you should get something done about it. It seems to be getting angry with you.' Mom couldn't believe someone was bold enough to come up and talk to her about it that bluntly, but she took Aunt Jennifer's advice. She went to a temple the next day to get rid of the spirit instead of waiting to go see Grandpa."

"And ya got to know each other after that?"

She nodded. "My mom went back to the laundry room almost every day after that, and finally Aunt Jennifer came back down. Mom wanted to know how she'd sensed the presence of the ghost so easily. They got to talking; Aunt Jennifer didn't really have a lot of control over her abilities, so Mom took her to meet my grandfather. Mom got her powers from Grandpa, who got them from his father, who got them from his mother, and so on. It goes way back in our family. Grandpa taught Jennifer how to control her abilities, and then when she'd learned all she could from him he introduced her to someone else who could help her more. Mom told me that was about the time Mana started reacting to strange things, too. Grandpa takes care of an old temple, a really old one, and there's usually stuff all around it that no one can actually see, but they can feel, you know? Spirits and the like. Have you ever been to a place like that?"

"Not exactly. I just live in a place where sometimes even the plants will eat ya. There's nothin' weird there."

Hachiko winced. "Good point. Anyway, there's always stuff around my grandfather's temple that you can feel, but not see. Well, one day Aunt Jennifer was visiting him and Mana started to cry. At first no one could figure out what was wrong, but then Grandpa realized there was something in the room with them. It was hiding itself well, but somehow it had startled her. They kept an eye on Mana after that and realized that she _always_ acted weird around the temple. She stared at stuff that no one else could see, the things that everyone could feel but couldn't pinpoint, and she always moved her eyes and her head like she was following things around the room. Sometimes she'd get scared and cry, but Mom told me that a lot of times she would also start laughing, too."

"Mana laughs?" Jin tilted his head; that was news to him. He'd seen her laugh with her body, but the sound was never there...

"Not any more, she doesn't." Hachiko sighed. "We haven't been able to get a laugh out of Mana for six years. It's like she's forgotten how. We can barely even make her smile..."

"I've seen her smile," Jin muttered quietly. The girl tilted her head, curious.

"How many times?"

"Three times, I've seen her smile." Three times, he reflected silently, twice brightly beaming and once the kind of sweet little smile that makes a person feel fiercely protective inside.

Hachiko tilted her head. "You must have some kind of gift. Three times in one week, for a stranger? That's unheard of. Even for Sachi and I, getting two full smiles in a week is a miracle."

"How come she's like that?" Jin looked up at the sky. "Wot makes a girl stop smiling altogether that way?"

"Her mother died." Jin's eyes widened as he looked back towards the black-haired girl. "Six years ago, when Mana stopped laughing? I can tell you the exact date it happened. It was the day her mother died."

The wind master didn't know what to say. How did a person go that long without laughter? No wonder the girl was lonesome, she couldn't even count on herself for company. How in _any_ world did she...

"Is everyone ready to go?"

Jin blinked as Mana came outside. The girl had changed into a simple blue skirt and a cheerful yellow blouse. The redhead studied her face carefully, nodding as he did so. Something didn't add up in his head; why did the girl go to such lengths to be solitary when she seemed so pleased just to have someone to talk to? If he'd only had a few more minutes to talk to Hachiko, he could have asked. Now he'd have to wait for the chance...

They took the elevator to get downstairs. Jin walked behind the three girls, letting them chat. The wind was clear; it carried for a long distance that day, bringing with it the sensations of life all over the town. For a moment he thought he sensed a slight chill, but it was gone before he could get a firm hold on it. Damn...

"Jin! Hello!" Jin blinked; Mana was waving a hand in front of his face. He stopped walking. The girl sighed, and he wondered just how long she'd been trying to get his attention. "We're going in here now."

"Ahright." He followed her into a small building with a brightly colored front to it and looked around. Well, it looked like an interesting enough place. Everything was light and cheerful here. He thought he might actually enjoy this...

"What flavor do you want?"

Jin blinked down at the girl. "Wot?"

Mana pointed up at a board on the wall. "Ice cream comes in different flavors. What kind do you want?"

The wind master stared blankly at the wall. He still wasn't even sure what they were eating, and she was asking him to make a decision about it? "Em... wot's good?"

"Pretty much everything up there. I'm having mint chip and fudge brownie in a cone. You can try a couple of different flavors, if you'd like."

"I'll just try what yer havin'." Mana shrugged, stepping up to the counter. Hachiko headed towards the booths lining the wall; Jin decided to follow her lead. "Hey, can I ask ya somethin'?"

The black-haired girl settled into one of the seats. "How did I know that was coming?" Jin stared; Hachi laughed softly and nodded across the table. "Ask away. I know you probably haven't gotten a lot of information from Mana herself, so I might as well fill in a few more gaps."

Jin sat down. "About Mana... how come she doesn't make friends? Any fool can tell the lass is lonesome somethin' fierce, so why does she avoid people?"

The girl smiled sadly. It wasn't the same heartbreakingly sweet expression Jin had seen on her pale friend, but it was close. "You know how her mother died, right? Mana's going into that same line of work. She's devoted herself to it for years now. As best as I can figure it, she's afraid of dying and leaving loved ones behind the way her mother did."

_Ouch..._ The redhead swallowed. "Yer pretty good at readin' people, aren't ya?"

"It's been a gift I've had since I was small." Hachiko smiled. "I can tell a lot about a person just by meeting them once. I know if somebody's trustworthy or if they should be avoided. I have an even better track record than Mana does."

"'Cause of what runs in yer family, right?" The apparition studied the girl; that explained why she'd warmed up to him so fast, at least. "Is yer sister the same?"

The smile broadened into a wide grin. "My sister? She's about as sensitive as a rock. The only power she has is what we share between us."

Oh, yeah. This was definitely the twin to be wary of...

Mana came over then, carrying... Jin stared at it. So that was ice cream? She held one of the cones out. "Here. Just try not to get too hyper, okay?"

"M'kay." Alright, now how was he supposed to _eat_ this? Jin glanced over at the three girls. Hachi and Mana were both looking at him, that didn't help, but Sachi hadn't waited; she was working at licking the drips from the cone with her tongue. Jin gave it a try. "Eh! That's cold!"

"Well, yeah." Mana rolled her eyes. "That's why they call it ice cream."

"Ah..." Jin watched as she took a dainty bite and gave it a try himself. Hey... this stuff was actually pretty good! He gave it a few more experimental bites. It was really, really good! Jin grinned to himself as he ate... and then nearly dropped the cone. It felt like someone had planted a chunk of ice _in his head_! "Hey! 'At hurts, 'at hurts!"

"She didn't warn him." Hachi sounded pleased. "You owe me five dollars, sis."

"Warn me wot?" Jin held his head with one hand, shaking, when it dawned on him. He stared at Mana. "Ya knew this was gonna happen, didn't ya!"

"Um..." Mana rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, I kind of forgot to mention what happens when you eat ice cream too fast. You probably don't want to do that again..."

Jin scowled as his head finally began to clear. "Just for that, I'm takin' yers..."

Mana didn't relinquish the cone, but before they left she did get him another one. Jin thought he just might have a new favorite food; the stuff was good! He followed Mana out onto the street once the two twins had left. "So wot kind of plan do ya got today, Mana?"

"Today? Today we're doing what we should have done yesterday." The girl stretched for a moment before looking around. Jin tilted his head. He _knew_ she didn't have a plan the day before...

"And wot would that be, then?"

Mana looked around before sighing softly and closing her eyes. "We're going to go whichever way the wind takes me." Jin stared at the blonde. Yeah, he'd heard the phrase before, but somehow he had the feeling that she actually meant it literally. That was new...

And so was that! Jin stared. Was the girl's energy actually rising? The difference was faint, but it was there; as Mana stood, eyes closed, breathing deeply, her reiki signature actually got stronger. No... it wasn't that it was getting stronger, it was that she was releasing it into the air more. Jin watched, curiously. Mana was sending minute bits of her own energy out into the air, and the air was reacting to it. He knew that technique and knew it well; she was actually trying to feel the world around her through the wind. He didn't know humans could _do_ that. Mana opened her eyes, and Jin raised an eyebrow. They looked just a bit brighter now than they did before. "Come on. Let's walk this way."

The redhead followed her as she turned, focusing carefully on the air around her. Funny how he hadn't taken the time to do this sooner; the girl had a nice breeze going around her. Then again, she'd been so weak lately that there hadn't been much of a wind about her to go by. Jin walked alongside the girl, his hands in his pockets. "So the wind, it talks to ya?"

"Not exactly..." Was the girl blushing? "It's just that I can get a sense from it sometimes. Like, if something good is about to happen, I can feel it on the wind. Or if something is dangerous, if I'm close I can tell by the air. It's like an instinct thing."

"So it talks to ya." Jin reached over to poke her under the ribcage. "If yer askin' the wind which way to go and yer gettin' an answer, that's called talkin'."

"I wasn't asking anything. I was just trying to find a direction that felt okay." Mana's shoulders were hunched sullenly. The apparition frowned. That wasn't a good response. Why was she so sensitive about the wind? Sighing, he reached over and seized the girl by the wrist. Mana turned to stare at him. "What are you doing?"

"We're changin' course. Come on." He could see trees in the distance, enough that it had to be the park. Mana tried to pull free of his grip, but he held on tight. Finally the girl seemed to understand that he had no choice but to follow him; he felt her stop trying to pull back as they neared the trees. "Every time the talk turns to the wind, ya clam up. Doesn't seem right to me, that. Not when it's somethin' we've both got in common so well."

"What are we doing here?" Mana's voice was soft; it sounded like she was trying not to get angry. Oh, good, Jin noted, this was better than a park; he'd managed to stumble across an actual _forest_. He dragged her in towards the direction where the trees seemed to be the thickest.

"I'm gonna show ya a little something' I can do." Let's see, if he went just a bit farther out this way... now the girl was struggling again. Jin sighed and turned around, scooping her up into his arms. Mana shrieked lightly.

"Put me down!" Mana's hands were balled into fists. Jin studied her arms as he walked, trying to decide whether it was worth it to take a punch. "I will hit you!"

"Now, now, there's no need to be hittin' anyone. I'm not gonna do ya any harm and ya know it. Now calm down or yer gonna make this difficult." Let's see, this should be far enough out. Jin grinned slightly as the wind around them picked up; it was enough to make Mana squeak and actually hold on to his neck.

"What are you doing? That doesn't feel natural!" Jin chuckled as the girl clung on to him. After having to hold his energy back for so long, it felt good to stretch it out a bit! "Jin, seriously, put me down!"

"But if I did that ya'd fall right on yer face!" The redhead grinned as he felt his feet lift up off the ground. That felt _good_. He rose up a few more feet. "There we go." There was no reply. He glanced downwards; the girl had her eyes shut tight as she clung against him. Jin tilted his head. "Mana, open yer eyes. Yer okay." Slowly, he started to see a hint of violet behind her dark lashes. "Come on, just a little more now. There we go." Now he could see some full color. "Look down."

Mana did as she was told, her eyes widening comically. They couldn't have been more than five or six feet off the ground, but the human's arms tightened around his shoulders considerably. "How... how are you doing that?"

"With the wind!" The redhead grinned. "It's been my friend for as long as I can remember, talks to me just the same as it talks to ya, if ya'd just admit it." He settled into a cross-legged position. "The wind likes ya, ya know, if it talks to ya. It's nothin' to be ashamed of." The girl nodded shyly, peeking downwards again. "So no more bein' sulky. That's not allowed, so says I."

"Alright..." Jin watched the way her hair fluttered as she looked around, amused. The wind _must_ have liked her; it usually took more effort than this to carry a passenger. He thought about what Hachiko had told him; that the girl was afraid of making friends because it would mean leaving people behind. That seemed like a cold way to live. "Can you go higher than this?"

Jin chuckled, dropping his legs down to land. "I can, but not today. One of these days I'll take ya for a real flight, way up into the sky. How's that sound?"

"Okay." He set her down carefully. "That... that sounds nice."

He waited a moment before speaking again, but she didn't smile for him. He sighed and smiled at her instead. "So no more dodging the subject, eh? If ya got a an ability like that ya should be happy about it, so I'm sayin'. Ya shouldn't be ashamed of it if ya can do somethin' other people might not understand. It don't make ya strange or anything. It's a gift."

"Oh... okay..." Almost, almost... now that was enough to drive a man insane. She came _so_ close to smiling that time before she stopped. "We should head back into town now."

"Yeah, that sounds good to me." Jin tilted his head. "Hey, ya think we can get some more ice cream?"

A roll of the eyes and a light smack on his shoulder were the only answers he got. He decided he could live with that. Tomorrow, for sure, he would get her to smile again.


	8. Windy Days

Okay, folks! It's Saturday, which means... woohoo... a new chapter! First off, I want to thank someone who has supported and inspired me for years. Someone who has always been there to encourage me, pushing me to do my best in all things, and never laughing too hard when I subsequently tripped and landed on my nose. In retrospect, being pushed might not have been the best thing... Anyway, this is for someone who has made me more than one breakfast while liberally swearing at the stove the whole time. Twisted Flicker, Ki, I want to say thanks to you. My little sister is my inspiration for Mana in the morning; her amusing habits of getting into arguments with inanimate objects -especially stoves- the way she smacks at things with the cooking utensils and calls them evil, the way she scowls and pouts and curses... they're all just too much fun not to honor in my writing. Thank you, sis. Thank you for making me laugh as I stood there waiting for my scrambled eggs. You're the only person who ever had any problems with that stove.

And thank you, as always to all of my readers and reviewers. I love each and every one of you, because you all make me smile. And isn't that what this story is about?

Now for a note before the chapter. The style of karate Mana takes, Gojo Ryu, is a real style, and I wanted to drop a few lines about it here. First of all, the belt order I mentioned a few chapters back is the correct level order, but as far as promotions go Mana is running a bit slowly. You can actually promote once every six months in Goju Ryu, but Mana chooses to go up only once a year instead. This actually isn't too terribly unusual; gis, sparring equipment, tournament fees, promotion fees... karate actually costs quite a bit of money. It also takes dedication and, more than that, a passion for the art. I've tried to be just as true to that as I can because Goju Ryu is _my_ style of karate. As such, I want to explain something about positions in a karate class. You can tell everybody's status, how strong they are, what level they're at, and where they sit in the class hierarchy, by where they're standing durring opening exercises. A class will usually have several rows of students, and they all face fowards, towards the front of the room, save for the very first row. That row is made up of the highest ranking students in the class, and when you're facing them the strongest person will always be the farthest left- at least that's how it went at my dojo and at the school system that dojo was affiliated with. I remember my class fondly; we were a mized group of home-schooled kids ranging from five to seventeen. My senseis, Chris and Ronnie, were good men, great teachers, fun storytellers... and absolute saints in the patience department. See, the top spot in my classes went to a girl, just like in Mana's, but unlike that class leader this girl was... well... she was just a bit of a klutz. It always amused everyone that she was faster than anyone else in the class, picked up on things quickly, memorized the katas just a bit faster than her classmates... but then she'd find the most amusing ways of hurting herself, too, usually from trying too hard and over-extending a muscle or kicking hard enough to somehow knock herself off her own feet. That somehow managed to happen more than once. At the very least it kept her humble. Yeah... those were the days...

Okay, that's enough reminiscing. We've got a story to get to, and then an actual end-note to talk about where I get some of my ideas. So let's go!

* * *

Mana was a good cook and all, but Jin was still kind of surprised that she'd never managed to majorly wound herself in a kitchen before. Yes, it was entertaining to watch her growling at the stove, but he had to worry for her safety nonetheless. Especially when the stove seemed to have a conscious mind of it's own for fighting back... "Mana, why don't ya replace that thing already? Yer gonna get hurt that way."

"It works fine enough as it is," the girl muttered, adjusting the knobs. "It's just this one burner that keeps flaring up at me. It takes a few moments to get it to work right."

"Then maybe ya ought to get it fixed?" Jin winced as the flame flared again, making the girl yelp. "Seems to me like that'd be a good idea..."

"I can handle it!" The girl twirled the knob hard and the flame finally settled. "See? You just need to know the trick to it."

Jin nodded, quickly getting out of the way. The morning sunlight was bright through the balcony doors; he went to look at that instead. Yesterday they had found... nothing. He'd thought he was close twice, but the cold sensation in the air always faded before they could get to the source. Still, he reminded himself, they'd been on the right track. "So wot's the plan for today?"

"Today I have karate after school." Mana dug around in the refrigerator. "I won't be getting home until this evening. We can still go looking, though, if you don't mind eating out again."

"That'll be fine." The redhead slid the door open; there was a nice breeze today. "So ya go to karate once a week?"

"Yep. Class is every Thursday after school." Jin nodded, listening to the girl work. He'd woken up shortly before she had this morning, just in time to see her come staggering out in her pajamas to get her tea. He'd said good morning to her three times, but she didn't seem to hear him. She didn't seem to remember the incident, either. It was enough to make him reach the conclusion that the girl just wasn't conscious until she'd had her tea. Oh, she was awake on some level when she first got up, but something in her mind just wasn't there. It was kind of amusing, really.

Fortunately, Mana seemed well awake when she set his breakfast down on the coffee table. Jin sat down, slightly surprised when she promptly sat next to him. She usually got her school things ready before she ate. "Yer ready to go already?"

"No, I'm just really hungry." The girl was actually forgoing manners to shove the food into her mouth. Jin stared. He knew she'd eaten the night before. Where was _this_ coming from? He frowned.

"Mana, yer feelin' okay, right?"

The healer blinked, swallowing quickly. "Huh?"

Jin pointed with a chopstick. "Yer eatin' like I do. Ya don't usually do that."

The girl turned _crimson_. "I am not."

"Ya are, too." Jin motioned towards her plate. "Yer havin' at that faster than me. Even when ya eat fast yer usually polite about it. Are ya feelin' okay today?"

"I told you," the girl muttered, "I'm hungry."

The wind master rolled his eyes. "Ya had seconds on dinner last night. Ya can't be that hungry."

Mana stared at him blankly for a moment before speaking. "Do you always pay that kind of attention to people?"

"Sometimes." Jin took a quick bite. "Helps me figure a person out, it does."

Mana leaned against the back of the couch. "And do you think you have me figured out?"

"I'm getting' there." He shrugged. "Getting' easier every day, it is."

"Really." Uh-oh. He'd heard _that_ tone in a female's voice before; it usually meant someone was contemplating giving a slap. Those weren't particularly pleasant memories right there... "Well, then, what kind of person am I?"

Great. Now he had himself between a rock and a hard place... "Well..." Studying the girl carefully, he wondered where to start. _That wary expression..._ "If I had to be honest, I'd say yer the kind of girl who doesn't like getting' close to anyone, but it's not 'cause ya don't like people. Actually, I think it's kinda the opposite. Ya like havin' someone to talk to and eat yer meals with, but ya hate to worry 'bout whether their safe..." Jin stared, realization dawning as he talked it out. "Or whether yer safe yerself. Yer afraid. Probably the only thing ya are more than afraid is lonely."

The girl's face was pale. As Jin watched, she set her plate down and moved to stand. "I need to get ready to go now."

"Ya got plenty of time." Jin reached over and tugged on her wrist. "Besides, it's rude to get up and walk away afore a person's done speaking to ya."

The girl settled back into her seat reluctantly, taking her breakfast back up. "Fine. Finish." Her tone was dangerously short. Jin took a deep breath.

"It seems to me that yer the kind of girl who mostly runs on her own pride. Ya don't back down and ya don't rely on others, not when there's even the slightest chance ya can pull through somethin' on yer own. Ya want to be strong, enough that ya can stand on yer own. It makes ya reckless sometimes, although not in the normal ways. Ya don't go lookin' for trouble, not by any means. But ya welcome it with open arms when trouble comes to yer door."

Mana jabbed at the eggs on her plate with her free hand, a stony look on her face. "Lonely and proud, then. Does that sum it up?"

"Not hardly." Jin studied her features carefully. That guarded expression made her look older than she was. "Honestly, I don't think that's the most of who ya are at all. Yer polite, but it's by effort. Ya actively work not to offend people, even when it goes against yer nature. Yer willin' to take in a man ya never met before, take care of him on yer own, never askin' a thing in return. That's compassion, that is, a kind ya don't see real often. That's the mark of someone special, in my way of thinkin'. A girl like you should be able to reach out and connect to people real easy like, but ya don't. Again, I think it's cause yer afraid." He released her wrist. "Ya won't lead a very fufillin' life if yer afraid all the time."

"You don't know anything," the human whispered, her eyes focused on her hand. "Stop trying to sound smarter than you are. It makes you sound like a fool."

Jin sat back. "Look me in my face and tell me that." Mana flinched visibly. He raised an eyebrow. "Ya can't, can ya? Ya know I'm right."

"So what if you are?" Once again, she set the plate on the table. "So what if you're right? So what if I'm a little bit lonely? I can still make it just fine by myself, lots of people do. It doesn't mean anything."

The apparition set his own plate down. "It means something if yer sittin' here lookin' ready to cry."

"I'm not, either! I just-" The girl's voice trailed to a halt as Jin decided to do something drastic. Reaching over, he seized hold of her with one arm and pulled her into a tight hug. Mana froze up completely against him, eyes wide. Jin sighed.

"Yer just wot?" There was no answer. "Come on, now, say it. Yer just wot?"

The girl was silent for a moment... and then, to Jin's surprise, she actually relaxed in his grip. "I hate it. I hate always having to be someone I'm not. I couldn't care less about school. I _don't_ want to associate with those people, I really don't."

Was she crying? No, she was far too still for that. Jin swallowed slightly; this conversation was _not_ going as he'd planned. Still, her reactions were interesting enough. When was the last time someone had the heart to hug this girl, he wondered dimly. She didn't seem to know how to respond to that simple contact. He patted her on the back lightly, trying to be soothing. "Maybe not those people, then. But ya can't isolate yerself. Yer just doin' wrong to yer own heart."

"Well, I don't exactly see what the alternative is." The girl tried to pull away; Jin held on just to see if he could. "Most people don't believe in spirits and demons, you know. It keeps the number of people I can talk to fairly limited."

Jin tilted his head. "If that's the best argument ya got, Mana, then I guess there's only one way to solve it." The girl stopped pushing, as though bracing herself. The redhead pulled back and beamed. "I'm gonna hafta be yer friend myself, then."

Mana's cheeks flushed. Jin watched amused, as she sputtered for a moment before finally pulling away from him. "You're an idiot!"

"Say wot ya want, I'm still gonna do it." Jin picked his plate back up smugly. He _did_ have her figured out, and now he thought he was starting to figure out how to help her, too. "Gonna be late for school if ya keep gawkin' at me like that, ya are."

It was worth the smack to his head to see the amusing way she muttered a flushed goodbye when she left the house that morning. He waved cheerfully, laughing to himself when she replied with a _very_ rude gesture. He never would have guessed she had it in her...

* * *

Her head ached the entire day in school. Mana scowled lightly as she packed her books into her bag as the last bell rang. The source of the headache was all too clear in her mind; she could point a finger right at it and say it's name. _Jin!_ What the hell was wrong with that demon? She couldn't tell if he was smart, stupid, or just plain crazy. She grabbed her duffel bag, heading for the door. The sooner they found Touya the better, or she'd end up insane just like him!

She slowed as she headed down the hallway. It sounded that simple, yeah. Find this mysterious ice user, send Jin on his way... the crowd was brushing past her by the time she reached the school gates. She stopped in the middle of it, examining her wrist. She should have struck him when he grabbed her arm, doubly so when he embraced her. Didn't he know anything about etiquette? He always picked her up, pulled her around, tossed her about like she was some sort of rag doll. It was rude to handle someone that way... and yet...

"Hey, Koyama!" Oh, of all the stupid things she did not need today! The girl turned, openly scowling; Urameshi actually took a step back. "Whoa, someone's having a bad day..."

"You have no idea. Pardon me, I'm running late." Mana turned and started walking. To her surprise, the spirit detective fell into step next to her. She sighed. "You need something again, don't you."

"Yeah. Same thing as last time, in fact." Yusuke's hands were shoved into his pockets. "I need the compass, Koyama. It's important."

Of course it was. Mana sighed again, pulling back her sleeve. The device, so similar to a normal wrist-watch at first glance, was strapped to her upper arm, out of sight. She unfastened it and tossed it to him, reminding herself fiercely that she might need his help soon enough. "What are the odds that I'll get that back working?"

"Not very high." She should have known. Urameshi strapped the compass to his own wrist. "It depends on if it works or not."

"If it works, I get it back in one piece?"

"Ah, no." He shook his green sleeve down over the device. "If it works, you get it back busted. We need to see if something is in the area or not."

"I see." Amazing. He'd actually managed _not_ to insult her. Mana focused on her footsteps, trying not to walk fast enough to seem rude... or slowly enough to seem encouraging. For some reason, the detective wasn't leaving now that he had the compass...

"You doing okay?"

Mana stopped short. Was the whole world going crazy today?! "I'm... I'm fine."

Urameshi looked relieved. "Right. I'll get this back to you tomorrow, then." Mana nodded, numb, as he headed back towards the school. Of course. He hadn't been asking out of concern, he'd just been trying to cover his own ass. Her bag heavy on her shoulder, she started walking even faster than normal to her karate class. Right then, she needed to spar. She pushed open the door to her small dojo, heading for the restrooms to change and bowing to her sensei along the way. She needed to work with her bo staff. She needed to knock somebody clean off their feet. She needed to clear her head. Pulling her gi out of her bag, she couldn't help but reflect that she and Urameshi may have had that in common, at the very least. The fact of the matter was, Jin was right; she welcomed trouble. The fact of the matter was, Mana Koyama enjoyed a good fight.

Martial arts were therapeutic. The head of the class got them through exercises, the instructor looking on as he always did. Mana envied the girl in that position; the rest of the class showed her the most respect. The teenager wasn't the head of the class because she could break the most boards; Mana knew that the dark haired youth had earned her spot for her speed and form. She envied someone with that sort of grace and confidence. Still, the blonde wasn't completely without hope; she herself was in the front row and glad for it. The position meant that here, at least, her hard work received it's due recognition. Still, to be just four places to the right...

After the starting stretches came the kata routines. Mana moved through the katas one step at a time, keeping her movements lithe and quick. The sequential practice exercises were good for settling an agitated mind. They required too much focus to let herself be distracted by her own thoughts. By the time they started working on their weapons katas, Mana realized that she felt a lot calmer than she had before.

That still didn't stop a small shiver of excitement from going through her when she picked up the long wooden staff she was training with.

Mana liked training with weapons. The staff made up for her lack of reach, and seemed more practical to her than the nunchucks or sais that some of the other students trained with. A person didn't have to carry a staff with them all the time, after all; it was probably the easiest weapon there was to substitute for aside from a club. That, and she genuinely enjoyed the motions. It was... relaxing. And more so than that, it made her feel less weak. By the time the class finally got to sparring, she actually felt pretty good. The intense focus required to outthink her opponent, the sensation of closed fist or open palm hitting their mark on her opponent's body, the satisfaction of coming out on top and the look of surprise on her opponent's face as their body hit the ground... Mana's specialty was fighting opponents larger than herself. Speed was the name of the game, speed of body and speed of mind, and she delighted in playing the game well. Precision was the other weapon when one didn't have brute strength, the ability to get in fast and land a strike exactly where it was needed. She took down the first two of her three opponents that day, and while the final match left her on her back with the air knocked out of her lungs she didn't resent the loss, either. She had still done well. Well enough, at the very least, to head home with an open mind. The climb up the fire escape was getting easier now that her strength was returning, that was another good thing. She just had to think positively.

And then Jin jumped down from the roof and almost gave her a heart attack. "Ello, Mana!"

"Um... hi." He seemed _cheerful_. Mana stared at him warily, feeling just a little bit of her good mood fade. He wasn't going to try to hug her again, was he? No, Jin seemed content to just stand there smiling. Mana nodded slightly. "You're chipper today."

"Nice day out today, it is." The redhead was beaming. "So do we have a plan for goin' out, then?"

"Honestly, right now I'm just too hungry to think." Mana stepped inside the glass doors. "So any planning will have to wait until after dinner."

"Sounds good to me!" Everything sounded good to him, she noted dryly. The apparition followed her inside. "Are we eatin' here or goin' out?"

"We'll eat here once I get changed, and then head out." The girl dropped her duffel bag in the hallway. "Does chicken sound okay to you?"

"Sounds good! Ya know how I am, I'll eat anythin'." Duly noted, the girl thought with a sigh. He was too cheerful...

Jin's good mood seemed to continue through the meal. If anything, he seemed to be even perkier by the end of it. Mana blinked as he sat down his plate and stared at her. "Yes?"

"So wot's the plan? Same as before, yer thinkin'?"

Mana nodded lightly. "You said you felt that chill twice, right? We'll keep going in that direction. It's kind of a rougher part of town, but we should be fine."

"Sure thing!" The apparition looked pleased. "Don't ya worry. We'll make some progress tonight, I'm bettin'." And all she could do was nod.

* * *

This girl was harder to get through to than he'd thought she would be. Jin sprawled on his back on the roof the next afternoon, waiting for her to get home. Last night's search had yielded absolutely nothing. There had been no trace of the chill in the air that heralded Touya's presence. Mana had mumbled something about trying another area before she'd disappeared into the bathroom that night, her mood having turned sour again during the course of the fruitless search. Getting her to smile again was getting more and more difficult...

The wind master sat up at a clanging on the fire escape. There was that crisp little breeze that told him the girl was finally home. He stood, vaulting over the edge of the roof to land squarely on the balcony. "Hey there, Mana!"

She actually didn't jump when he landed next to her this time. In fact, the blonde didn't even seem startled. "Hello, Jin. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I am." She was scowling. That wasn't good. He raised an eyebrow at what looked like a watch clenched in her hand; he didn't have the slightest idea what it was supposed to be doing, but somehow he had the feeling that sparking wasn't it. "Ya doin' okay?"

"Yeah. I just need to change. Excuse me." She brushed passed him, into the apartment. Jin stared after her before shrugging it off and sitting on the railing to wait. It was a nice, windy day today. The breezes from the day before had really picked up. That was good. He liked windy days. The apparition smiled quietly to himself, enjoying the air around him. The Makai wind was fierce and unruly; the Ningenkai wind was gentle and playful by comparison, as though it thought he was something new and interesting. That was why he liked it on the roof so much; there was a really good bit of wind up there.

Mana came back outside shortly, adjusting a poufy pink hat with one hand as she tossed him his own cap with the other. He put it on without arguing, watching her leap to the fire escape quietly. The effort was enough to jostle the hat right off her head. The girl blinked, watching it fall to the ground. "Damn..."

"It'll be fine. Only a hat, ya know." Jin jumped up onto the railing. Mana rolled her eyes and started down the stairs. The redhead watched her get to the ladder and then, feeling a bit playful, jumped off the balcony. He heard a startled yell as he dropped past the blonde, slowing his own fall just enough to land softly and send her cap skidding down the alleyway in the after-gust. Oops. Mana dropped down next to him, scowling. He raised an eyebrow. "Wot?"

"Nothing." The girl adjusted her pink sweater. Jin raised an eyebrow as she turned away from him. That was a new skirt. That was a _short_ skirt. The blue pleats swished around the girl's thighs as she headed over to pick up her hat. Why on earth was a fourteen-year-old girl wearing something that showed that much leg, anyway? And why the hell was she wearing it on such a windy day? That seemed like a recipe for disaster to him...

"Is it safe to be wearin' that on a day like today, ya think?"

The girl paused, looking back at him with a perplexed expression. "What?"

Jin pointed. "That skirt. Seems to me that today is not the best of days to be wearin' somethin' like that."

Lavender eyes rolled towards the sky as Mana bent to pick up her hat. "I don't see what the big deal is. It's only a skirt. What exactly do you think is going to go wrong?"

The wind answered before he could; the alley was a man-made tunnel, forcing the air through even faster than it would have blown on it's own. Jin averted his gaze as the skirt blew up around the girl's waist, politely looking away as Mana shrieked and yanked the fabric back down. "Well, there is that." The girl turned, staring at him with wide eyes, her face redder than his own hair. Jin blinked. "Wot?"

"You..." Why was she shaking? His eyes widened suddenly. Oh, crap... Mana stepped towards him, one hand clenching into a fist. Jin raised his hands.

"Now hold on just a minute! I didn't do a thing there, that happened on it's own!"

The girl didn't even listen. She plowed forward, fists swinging, shouting the entire time. "You jerk! Pervert! I can't believe you did that! I can't believe you! I just... argh!"

"Now, Mana, come on!" Wow, blocking the blows actually stung a bit... "It wasn't me, honest! Calm down, please... please... ow!" He reeled backwards, holding his nose. How had that one gotten through? Oh, he'd taken worse punches than that, yeah, but a hit to the nose was a hit to the nose! "Honestly, Mana, yer cute and all, but kitten panties just don't interest me!" The punches _stopped_. Jin chanced a look; the girl was staring at him, eyes wide. Oh. Oh, shit. "Em... lucky guess?"

And then she _growled_ at him. Growled and raised one of her hands, pointing right at his chest. Jin's eyes went wide. She wasn't... oh, hell, she couldn't do _that_, could she? He started backing away as her hand began to glow. There wasn't enough room in the alley to throw up a wind barrier. If she actually fired, he'd have no choice but to take it. "Come on now, let's not do anything hasty..." The girl didn't listen. Jin's eyes widened as she fired, the blue light 'bullet' hitting right into his solar plexus. That hurt a helluva lot more than the punch to the face had! "Ow...!"

"Jerk," the girl hissed.

Jin rubbed his chest, wincing. "I didn't do it..."

"Pervert!"

"Honest, Mana, I didn't do it." The redhead cringed as her eyes narrowed. They were _dark_ when she was angry. "I was only tryin' to warn ya. I didn't flip yer skirt."

"Then you just stood there and stared, is that it?" Well, on the plus side she was keeping her voice down. Jin stepped back as she stepped forward, fire in her eyes. "You..."

"It was a guess, I swear."

"Pretty damned specific for a guess!" Oh crap, she was clenching her fists again. Jin closed his eyes, expecting more blows. Maybe if he just shut up and took the hits she'd lay off? But none came; she was putting the hat back on her head when he opened his eyes again, her back resolutely towards him. Jin sighed.

"Mana, I'm bein' honest. I didn't flip yer skirt, and I didn't stare at ya." There was no answer. The apparition hung his head. "Ya want me to just go on my own today?"

"You don't know your way around." Her tone was sharp. "You need me for this or you wouldn't make it back here."

Jin studied her stiffened shoulders before resolving himself to the fact that this might take making her mad again before things could get any better. Reaching over, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders from behind. "Listen." The girl went even more rigid. "Yer a nice girl and all, and someday I'm bettin' yer gonna be real pretty..." he was playing with fire this time... "Just like yer mother." The girl inhaled sharply, and then he felt her tremble slightly. Perfect. "But right now yer still a kid, and I don't know wot kind of people ya deal with, but I don't think it's much sport to mess with a kid that way. I know I'm not the easiest guy to keep up with. I can't help but tease and I get into everything and ya can't keep me still for a minute. But I'm bein' honest when I'm tellin' ya that wasn't me."

There was a long silence before he heard her heave a sigh. "Fine. I believe you."

He stepped back, relieved. "Atta girl. So, where are we-" The girl spun suddenly, catching him square in the face with an open palm. Jin cringed, half from the blow and half from the smug look on her face. "Wot the hell was that for?!"

"That was for knowing my wardrobe well enough to guess." Mana turned on her heel. Jin stared after her, stunned- had that been a smirk or... from _hitting_ him? It was definite in his mind now; human girls were an entirely different species than their male counterparts! The girl turned back towards him as she reached the end of the alley. "Are you coming or not?"

He hadn't had any idea that she could look that saucy. Jin grinned in spite of himself, half-running to catch up to her. "Right behind ya, then."

The girl rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot." Her tone was soft, almost fondly so, and Jin grinned even wider. Score one for the wind master, then. That made smile number four.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, who wants to have a good laugh at the authoress now? I know what you're thinking after that scene; Oh my goddess, Aeris is so _mean_ to her characters! Well, in that respect I think it's time to talk about where I get a lot of my own ideas, including the whole "Pleated Skirt/Windy Day" scenario. Are you ready for this? Don't blink, you're going to learn a lot from these two words:

PERSONAL. EXPERIENCE.

When I was about nineteen, one of my favorite outfits was a knee-length pleated skirt, red plaid, a white blouse with a very ruffled collar, and a black vest, all topped off with my knee-high black leather boots and some clunky jewelry. I adored that outfit. I wore it all the time, especially helping out at the local card and comic shop. The Grapevine was great; you could go in, meet your friends, play Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh and the like, and just hang out. I was one of the only girl card players, and I also dearly loved helping out when new comic and game shipments came in. This included taking out the trash to the dumpsters in the alley near the shop. On one particularly windy day I was doing just this, dressed in my favorite outfit, when a sudden gust blew some packing peanuts clean out of the box and into the middle of the street. Not one to litter in the middle of downtown, I went after them, finally catching the last piece right outside the Vine. I caught it with my boot, bent down to pick it up, and... you guessed it... a sudden surge of wind right from behind me blew my skirt up clean around my shoulders. I was mortified; there were about ten of my male friends in the shop that day and the front of the store was glass. By the time I got inside they were all having a great laugh over it, teasing me about my underwear, and in my indignation I demanded to know what color I was wearing if they really got that good a view. One of the guys, without missing a beat, informed me that they were black. I must have had murder in my eyes, because the next words out of his mouth were "Oh, shit. They are, aren't they?"

I chased him around the entire store before I finally caught him and gave him a piece of my mind, and the whole time he was standing there yelling "It was a guess! It was just a lucky guess! I didn't see anything!" Nobody tried to help him. They were all laughing too hard.

And this isn't the first scene inspired by my own life, either; as mentioned, Mana in the kitchen comes from my sister (I have actually heard her go "evil old thing" at the stove) and the scene where Jin is flushing the toilet paper down into the toilet also comes from that well of weird crap in my memory banks. Try that some time when you're bored; stick an end of the paper in the toilet and flush. It's kind of fun. But don't try chewing on batteries; they taste funny. So yeah. I don't abuse my characters. I just add spice to their lives with the bounties of my own personal experience.

Thank you for reading. Now let's see some reviews, and I'll see you all next weekend!


	9. Out on the Town

Heh. Here we go, it's Saturday again. I honestly don't think I've laughed this hard at any chapter thus far while I was writing; I really put my poor characters through the ringer this time. Once again, not entirely sure where I pulled the end of this chapter from; that entire last scene sort of wrote itself and I didn't realize what was going to happen until it did. They keep doing that to me, yeesh. Also, a note about one of the events in the chapter itself...

SHINCHI, IF YOU EVER READ THIS, I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY! I know it's mean to poke fun, but you can't sing and that inspired me. You know we all still love you, and you're awesome at the piano, but... yeah. And besides, I'll openly admit that I can't really sing unless it's a very limited selection of songs, either, so no harm done, right?

Aheh. Yeah. Something tells me that if this gets out I'm going to have broken bones... Chalk another one up to personal experience, shall we? And Mana's antagonistic aquaintance from school makes a showing as the hunt for Touya continues. Somehow, I do not see this ending well.

Hey, we have another chapter with singing! In order of the songs, in case you want to check them out, we have:  
READY STEADY GO: Fullmetal Alchemist second opening theme  
Alchemy of Love: Tenchy Muyo! ending theme  
Raison D'etre- Reason to Live: Chobits ending theme

I listen to too much anime music... anyway! Once again, thank you so much to all the reviewers! It's totally awesome to see responces in my inbox... and even more awesome for the chances I've had to talk to some of you over messenger! You guys really keep my hopes up in these tough economic times. Gods, I wish I was just kidding about that...

Also, before we get started, I want to say another thank you, this time to somebody who supports me in every way he can, even if it's just wishing he could give me a massage when too many hours in the computer chair takes it's toll on my backside. This person is behind me on everything, although sometimes I wonder if it's for the purest reasons, ha ha. No, really, I don't know what I'd do without his support; many are the nights he's spent on the phone with me, consoling me when I wanted to cry and encouraging me when I was frustrated. To my fiance, Ray, a big thank you. Long distance relationships are rough, but hopefully by the time this story is complete you'll be there to distract me in person as I'm trying to post my chapters. As it is, you have an uncanny knack for calling when I'm writing my author's notes, and somehow I love you even more for it. I would get sappy here, but I doubt the readers could take our unusual brand of cute...

So let's go!

* * *

Mana had hoped the map might narrow their searching down some when she picked it up at the store. Sitting at her kitchen table that evening, she decided it wasn't helping at all. Trying to figure out a location based on the direction of the cold spots had only narrowed her down to roughly half the city. She needed more to go by than that!

The blonde sighed, leaning back from the table. Today she had finally figured out what Jin had meant by an 'unnatural chill' in the air. The sensation that had made him stop in his tracks had also made her pause. It wasn't like a cool breeze, he'd been right about that. It was almost like a liquid coldness; it was fluid, like it moved with it's own consciousness. It had made the hairs on her arms stand on end... and then it was gone. For the first time Mana had seen Jin get frustrated; they'd been so _close_ that time, and then the trail just vanished! And they had been so close...

She flicked at the map with one finger. If she looked again, maybe there was a pattern after all. It wasn't just half the city where they were feeling the chill, it was a smaller area than that. If she took a pen and made points where Jin had felt the cold air... Mana started marking the paper with red dots. Now if she compared the directions the wind had been blowing... ah, she needed the computer for that. Getting up, she headed across the living room to start the machine. On television shows, they used triangulation to narrow things like this down. She didn't know exactly how that was done, but if she could get the wind directions maybe she could do something similar...

An hour later the healer threw the pen down in frustration. That had hardly narrowed the search at all; in fact, she now had a completely different area of town to consider! For the most part, the wind had been blowing from the southwest during their searches. But one day, just one, the wind had been blowing in from a different direction- east- and given a signal from a new area entirely. The girl sighed, trying to make sense of it all. Why would there be one stray directional hit like that...

"Wot ya got there?" Mana jumped. Where the hell had _he_ come from? Jin flopped down into the chair next to her, staring at the map. "That looks fun. Wot's it about?"

"It's a map of this city." Mana motioned to the red dots. "These are all the places we were, approximately, when you felt Touya's energy, see?" From each spot she had drawn a wide cone in blue. "I looked up the wind directions on those days. These are the areas he would have had to have be in for you to have felt that energy." Or so she thought... to be honest, Mana still wasn't sure if she was leaving the range too open or too narrow. Better not to say that, though. "From what I can tell, this is the area he's been in the most frequently."

Jin scanned the map quickly. Mana groaned inwardly as his finger landed on the one blue triangle that pointed the other way. "And that spot there, wot's that one?"

"That's from the first time you felt the signal. The wind was traveling in a different direction that day. I..." Jin was looking at her, a curious expression on his face. Mana sighed. "I honestly can't figure that one out, myself." She turned the map. "I think we need to start looking more closely at this area. That's where a lot of the patterns seem to overlap the most."

Jin raised an eyebrow. "So yer just gonna ignore this one here, then?"

Mana frowned. "Most of the chills came from this area. Shouldn't we focus on that?"

The wind master chuckled. "See, Mana, that's were yer still just an amateur, isn't it?" The girl gaped. "Part of readin' the wind comes from figurin' out not just wot it's givin' ya, but wot it's not. We go out for almost a week and get just a handful of hits when the wind's blowin' one way, right? But the one day it shifts, we get one there, too. If ya ask me, the next area we look at ought to be about here," he tapped at the map, to the east of the stray point, "'cause it could just be that this is where he is when he's not out lookin' for me. It coulda been that if we'd been seein' the breeze from the east we'd have a lot more little dots on this paper, wouldn't we?"

Mana felt her face flush. "I didn't think of it that way."

"Well, as I said, yer still learnin'. Give it time and ya should get really good, so says I." Jin sat back. "Sometimes ya can't just look at the patterns. Wot's important is wot breaks the patterns."

"Okay..." Mana sighed. "I'm hanging with out with the twins tomorrow evening. We can have a look around beforehand, and then spend Sunday searching a bit more thoroughly. Does that sound okay?"

"That sounds fine to me." The apparition reached over and ruffled her bangs; Mana gave him the flattest look she could.

"Why do you do that to me?" Jin just smiled without answering. Mana sighed to herself. "You're a very difficult person to deal with sometimes."

"Hey, now, that's not a nice thing to say." The demon actually pouted at her. "Why you gotta go and say such mean things to a guy, Mana? I'm only bein' friendly to ya."

That's what I mean, the girl thought to herself silently. Every day he was closer to going home. What was the point of being friendly any more? She stood up. "Do me a favor. Don't."

The moment she said it, she regretted it. Jin went from looking pouty to looking _hurt_. Mana cringed inwardly, but before she could try to apologize Jin spoke. "Ya really think ya meant that, don't ya?"

"I..." His expression had changed again, from that brief moment of hurt to a sort of sad curiosity. Mana swallowed, nervous about the way those blue eyes looked straight into her own so easily. She couldn't stand it; she turned away. "I don't even know any more."

There was a soft sigh behind her. "I don't think ya do." There was a gentle pressure on her head; Jin had rested one hand on her head, but wasn't mussing her hair this time. "Yer a good girl, Mana."

She pulled away. "I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean that..."

"Didn't think ya did." The hand that had been on her head patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Yer gonna get used to me, by and by."

The blonde nodded numbly. "I need to go soak now." She didn't give the demon boy time to answer as she headed into the bathroom. Turning on the water in the tub, she adjusted the heat and applied a liberal amount of scented bubble bath to the swirling waters. She just needed to relax. Music. Music would be very good right now. Frowning thoughtfully, she headed to her room while the tub filled. She needed her robe, her pajamas, and her stereo. Music and a nice long bath... that sounded like a good idea...

She spent probably close to an hour in the tub, singing to herself and trying to relax. It worked; by the time she toweled off and put her pajamas on, she actually felt a lot better. She opened the door to head for her own room… and yelped as Jin fell backwards right at her feet. The demon blinked up at her. "Oh... ello, there, must've dozed off..."

"What were you doing?!" Mana looked around, hoping to find something she could throw. Jin sat up, stretching, and turned to face her.

"I was listenin' to ya sing." The apparition gave her an almost vacant smile. "Ya haven't been singin' so much in the past few days. I kinda missed hearin' it from ya." Mana felt her face flaring red as Jin pushed himself up off the floor. "Ya gonna head to yer room now?"

"Yeah..." She brushed passed him quickly. "Good night."

"G'night." Jin stood watching her. She glanced towards him; he looked amused. "Sleep tight, then, and have good dreams. We'll have a good day tomorrow, so says I."

Right... Mana sighed. He was too cheerful. She pushed her door open. "Am I ever even going to see you again once you've found Touya?"

Jin stared at her for a moment before his expression inexplicably brightened. "Is that wot's got ya so moody, then?"

"No!" Mana flinched. That was not what she needed him to think... "It has nothing to do with that, I was just wondering!"

Jin laughed quietly. "Yer funny, Mana. Of course I'll be back to see ya."

"Of course." The blonde sighed softly. "I'll see you tomorrow." He was still smiling when she pushed the door shut behind her. Mana flopped onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Jin could be so annoying sometimes.

Climbing into her bed and relaxing on her side, her last thought before she fell asleep was that she almost hoped he would keep his word...

* * *

Waiting for Mana was _boring_.

Jin sighed, sitting on the edge of the roof and watching the ground below. Wasn't today supposed to be her _short_ day at school? Maybe it was the fact that he was bored out of his skull that was making it seem so long... He sighed, dangling his legs off the edge. He was done with the books. The television, once he'd gotten the thing turned on, was only moderately amusing. That and it was indoors, and he didn't want to be indoors. He wanted to be out exploring...

Finally, finally there was that little hint of a breeze. Jin perked, his eyes on the end of the alley as the girl came into view. Finally, he could get away from this apartment! He jumped down onto the balcony as she headed up the fire escape, leaning over the wall to greet her. "Ello Mana!" The girl looked up, waving vaguely. She didn't seem cross today, that was always good. "Lemme guess, ya gotta get dressed and then we'll go."

Mana nodded. "I'm supposed to meet the twins for karaoke at about five, so we have until then to search."

"Can I come to karaoke with ya?" Jin did his best to look hopeful. Mana stared at him doubtfully. "Please?"

The girl chewed on her lower lip for a moment. "I don't know."

He sat, looking up at her with the best expression of wide-eyed innocence he could muster. "Please?" he pleaded again, drawing out the 'e' this time. Mana stared.

"Fine," the girl muttered, and then louder, "fine, just stop looking at me like that!"

Jin beamed. "I'll see ya when yer ready, then!" Mana stared at him blankly for a moment before heading inside. The wind master settled to sit on the railing, waiting and wondering when the healer was going to notice that he'd stolen one of her father's button-up shirts. It was a little tight around the arms, but he'd already worn all of the shirts she'd gotten him twice and he didn't know how to use the washer. He hoped she wouldn't mind. He _really_ hoped she wouldn't mind...

Now _that_ was a bright outfit. Jin tilted his head as Mana came out onto the balcony. Her off-the-shoulder shirt had a blaze of gold musical notes on it while her purple skirt had a deep gold band around the bottom. Everything the girl was wearing was completely coordinated, right down to her purple and gold socks and tennis shoes. The demon blinked. Did she look older? She did; the way her hair was pulled back and the hints of lipstick and eye color had added a year or two to her apparent age. He didn't have long to muse over that before she tossed his hat at him. "You left this inside again."

"Didn't need it up on the roof." Jin stepped back so she could make her way over to the stairs, adjusting the cap on his head. Well, he might as well take the fast way down.

Mana jumped across, looking back at him once she reached the escape. "Do me a favor. Don't-" Jin already had one hand on the railing. "Don't do that!"

The redhead blinked. "Don't do wot?"

"Don't jump. It'd be kind of hard to explain if anyone noticed." Mana started down the stairs. Jin stared, shrugged, and followed after her. "I mean, humans can't exactly fall four stories and land on their feet, you know? It's a dead give-away that there's something weird about you."

"Right..." Jin turned and followed her down the fire escape instead. It amused him how she always made it a point to go from the top floor down ahead of him and from the ground up behind him. At least she gained something from wearing all those skirts, even if it was just a healthy sense of paranoia. "So wot are ya plannin', then?"

Mana shrugged lightly before she dropped down from the bottom of the ladder. "We search. I have the map in my bag, so we'll try the area you suggested and see what we get." Jin nodded, jumping over the edge of the escape and dropping the last level. The healer sighed. "Must you do that?"

"That wasn't so bad a jump. Besides, wasn't anyone around to notice me."

"That's not the point." Mana headed off towards the end of the alley. "Like I said before, I do have to live here."

"Right, right." Jin fell into step next to the girl, observing things like street signs and the like as they walked. "Ya wouldn't happen to be hungry, would ya?"

The healer visibly rolled her eyes. "Are you?"

"Mebe just a little bit." Jin grinned sheepishly. "Ya got home afore I could get myself some lunch."

"And of course you couldn't do that while I was getting ready." The girl reached over, lightly striking him in the arm. "You're a pain sometimes."

"So can we get somethin' to eat?" Jin couldn't help a small grin as Mana struck his arm again. "Come on, we might as well enjoy bein' out, right?"

"Oh, fine." Mana shifted the handbag on her shoulder. "I know a noodle cart that's pretty good, will that do?"

"Sounds like fun." Jin poked her lightly, testing her energy. "Cause if I'm right, yer probably a bit hungry yerself."

"Not really," the blonde muttered... but, Jin noted twenty minutes or so later, that didn't stop her from ordering a second bowl of noodles. She looked up irritably as he chuckled. "What?"

"Told ya that ya were hungry." He jabbed her with a chopstick, watching in amusement as she jumped and squeaked. "See, ya can't think on an empty stomach, so says I. It just don't work." Whatever it was that Mana mumbled, he couldn't understand it around her mouthful of noodles. He chuckled to himself; at least the girl was comfortable enough around him to feel more comfortable eating without being all prim and proper now. It made him feel a little less guilty. It also made him feel more comfortable ordering a second bowl for himself. "This is pretty good stuff."

"I told you it was." Mana stood up. "Are you done?"

Jin shoved the last of the noodles into his mouth. "Am now." The blonde wrinkled her nose. He raised an eyebrow, but she didn't try to scold. "Come on. We've got a bit of walking to do now."

They didn't find much; just enough of a chill to suggest that Touya was definitely still in town. Finally, Mana sighed. Jin glanced down. "Wot's wrong?"

"I need to get to the café now. It's almost time to meet the twins."

"M'kay, then." Jin watched as the girl started back the way they came. "So yer actually gonna sing in public, then?"

There was a blush as he started to follow her. "That's kind of the idea."

"Do ya do that a lot?" He reached, intending to poke her lightly, but the way her cheeks darkened made him draw back his hand. "Well, do ya?"

"Only when there are contests at the café. Otherwise we rent a private room." Mana shifted slightly, quickening her pace. She seemed to be getting embarrassed. Jin tilted his head.

"Do ya ever win?"

"I got to third place once." The redhead frowned; something was distinctly bothering her now. He chanced a glance around as Mana swore softly under her breath. The wind master felt his own eyes go wide.

"Ey, now, wot was that for?"

"Keep your voice down," Mana hissed. "I want to get by here without attracting attention." The girl fell two steps back suddenly, walking _very_ close to his arm. Jin stared down at her for a moment before chancing a glance around. Ah. There was a group of girls gathered around a shop window, wearing the same uniform he saw on Mana every day. Mana was trying to place him between her and them. Slightly curious, he tucked an arm around the girl's shoulder in an attempt to cover just a bit of her golden hair. She glanced up at him, but didn't say a word until they'd gotten around the corner and he'd let her go. "Thanks..."

"Ya got problems with one of them?" He watched as Mana needlessly brushed herself off, letting her compose herself. "They go to yer school, right?"

"Yeah..." The girl flipped her hair back. "Yuki's the ring leader. She was the one with the pink scarf on." Jin nodded; he vaguely recalled seeing that on one of them. "Her father works for a large corporation. She's used to getting whatever she wants. She thinks she's the queen of the whole school."

"And she doesn't like ya?"

"Not at all." Mana's expression was grim... and yet, as he looked at her eyes, slightly smug, as well. "My father is in line for her father's job."

Jin nodded. "So yer a threat to her."

"I'm already a threat." Mana stretched. "With our fathers in the business world, we're both probably going to be applying at the same high schools, and my test scores are better. I stand a better chance than she does at getting accepted." One corner of the girl's mouth curved upwards. "It's been like that since grade school. It's common knowledge that Yuki doesn't study well. She expects everything to be handed to her."

Jin tilted his head. "So she's jealous of ya, eh?"

"No, not her. She just hates me." Mana shrugged lightly. "Yuki's too selfish to be jealous. She just wants what everyone else has."

"I think that's how the word is defined." The wind master gave the girl a light poke. "Don't go takin' my word for it, though. Never been a big one on readin' the dictionary."

The reward was worth the stab to his own intellect; Mana actually _smiled_. And then, in one brief instead, the smile became frozen on her face at a curious voice from behind them. "Koyama?"

He saw Mana's shoulders bristle only slightly... but he definitely felt the air around her tense up. It practically chilled as she turned around. "Wakahisa. Good afternoon."

The girl in the pink scarf was standing there, with three other girls standing behind her. Wakahisa must have been this Yuki girl's family name, he decided. The girl was looking Mana over critically. "Koyama, you look pale. They say you passed out in class last week. Have you been eating okay?" There was an edge of venom to the girl's voice, buried under a rather frightening sugary sweetness. This wasn't polite concern. This was an _attack_.

Mana shifted next to him, resting her weight on one leg in a stance that wasn't quite provoking... but it wasn't too friendly, either. "I'm doing much better now, thank you. How about you, Wakahisa? I heard you'd been having some problems with your uniforms fitting. A faulty washer, no doubt?"

One of the girls standing behind the pink-wrapped ringleader inhaled so sharply that for a moment Jin thought it was a hiss. Yuki's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, but then she held her chin just a little bit higher. "Well, you know how it goes. Appliances don't last forever."

"Of course not." Mana wasn't smiling any more, neither girl was. Actually, Jin wasn't sure what to think of their expressions right now... other than the fact that they were starting to scare him. Human females. Totally different species... "Still, it must be a bother having to order a new uniform. I see what they were talking about; that does look a little snug."

Yuki cast an appraising eye over Mana's outfit, barely concealing a wicked glare before her eyes almost lit up. "Your hair looks so tattered. You really should let me give you the name of a good stylist. It would be a shame to let it get any worse." He felt Mana inhale rather abruptly herself, but it didn't make nearly enough noise to alert the four girls. "Now, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?"

That got a rise. Not the kind that any of these girls could sense, no, but Jin felt the wind around Mana virtually sharpen. And then Yuki actually looked up at him, and for the life of him, Jin couldn't figure out what kind of reaction that was. The girl's eyes went _wide_. Mana, on the other hand, seemed to be gritting her teeth. "This is Jin. We were actually just headed somewhere, and are rather pressed for time. If you don't mind, we need to be going now."

Yuki nodded slowly; Jin was starting to feel uncomfortable with the way she was staring. Was he supposed to be saying something? "Em... 'ello, there."

Why the hell was the girl blushing now? "Hello..." the black-haired schoolgirl practically mumbled, her confidence apparently shot. "Right... we'll see you in school, Koyama..."

The small group of girls actually turned away before Mana did, following their leader back around the corner they'd come from. Whatever had just happened, Jin was pretty sure the little healer had won. "Was that normal?"

"The first part, yes..." Mana was staring after the group, confusion evident in her expression. "That... I've never seen that before. I have no idea what that was."

"Somehow, I don't be thinkin' I want to know." Jin turned. "So, where's this café, anyway?"

"Right here." Mana pointed. "I didn't want to go in with them around, though. I don't need them knowing where I hang out."

"Right..." Jin shook his head, sighing to himself. That had honestly been more intense than most to-the-death battles he had ever seen. Human girls... who could figure them out...

His convictions weren't helped at all by heading into the café, either, not when he saw who was waiting. For once he thought he could tell the twins apart; the one in the pink skirt and heart-riddled blouse had to be Hachiko, because the one in the baggy jeans, loose t-shirt, and prominent scowl could only be Sachi. "You guys are late."

"We ran into trouble. Are the sign-ups done yet?"

"No, but someone's already signed up for your song." Hachi shook a finger at Mana. "You always make us wait, and now look what you get."

The blonde sighed. "It wasn't my fault. We ran into Yuki. I had to wait until she was gone to come inside."

One twin winced, the other hissed. "Yeah, that would do it." Hachi gave Mana a sympathetic pat on the arm. "Go sign up, before all the good songs are taken."

Jin waited as the girl ran towards the counter, writing something down on a clipboard and chatting easily with the young woman behind the counter before heading back over. The four found a booth against a wall, away from the front windows, and Jin sat mildly bored as the three girls chatted. In fact, he'd started to zone out just a little bit before he realized that Mana was looking up at him expectantly. "Em... wot?"

Lavender eyes rolled. "I said, do you want a snack? It's rude to sit here without ordering anything."

"Em... sure. Wot's good?" Immediately all three girls piped in with different recommendations. The apparition tilted his head, unable to quite understand any of them. "How about ya just get me wotever seems like it'd taste good, then?" Mana stared at him blankly before shrugging. "I'm not picky. Ya know that already."

"Yeah, I guess so." The girl stood up and moved away, Sachi accompanying her to the counter. Hachiko looked across the table at him with a bright smile. Jin gulped. He already knew that look.

"So, any luck today?"

"Mebe a bit of it." Jin shifted. "We found a new area to search, and I think it's about right for what we're lookin' for."

Hachiko nodded cheerfully. "Mana looks a bit paler today. Try to keep her from using so much energy, okay?"

"Right..." Jin sighed. "Can I ask ya a question?"

"Sure. See, you just did." Great, happy twin was in a playful mood today. "Seriously, though, what do you need to know this time?"

"Are ya always so direct like this, or is that just with me?"

The raven-headed girl stared at him for a moment before she started to laugh. Jin blinked, but Hachi waved a hand at him before he could question her. "Sorry... sorry... it's just that I've probably been talking to you the same way I talk to my younger siblings and didn't realize it. I'm used to having to say things as clearly as I can so there's no question about what they're supposed to be doing."

Oh, that was very comforting. "Yer a strange person." That only seemed to make the girl laugh harder; Jin found himself grinning in spite of himself. "I've got a friend ya need to meet, I do. I bet ya could knock his ego down a peg or two."

"Oh, that's always fun." Hachi beamed. "I'm an expert at smacking egos. You should see my older brother, then you'd understand why."

Jin chuckled as Mana and Sachiko returned with the snacks. The girls chatted while they ate; the apparition found himself too wrapped up in the food to talk. The little cake Mana had gotten him was fruity and sweet... and the brownie she'd gotten herself was pretty good, too, once he'd managed to steal a piece. She'd glared at him, but at least she didn't hit. Honestly, he was kind of starting to like this café place. There were lots of interesting things to see and hear, and the food was pretty good. And then the singing started. The first two people who went up to the microphone were pretty good, but the third...

Sachiko stared up at the stage, her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Who the hell told that boy he could sing?"

There was a sudden burst of laughter from the next table; a girl with vivid purple streaks in her hair actually stuck her head over the back of the booth. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Next to him, Mana cringed, and Jin thought he heard her mutter the words 'college girls' under her breath. Sachi just rolled her eyes.

"I said, who told that boy he could sing? He sounds like a dying frog."

The girl hooted as the rest of her table laughed. "Thank you! That's what we keep telling her, but she won't listen! She's a music major, and she swears that she's better than any of us because she has perfect pitch. We've been trying to convince her that perfect pitch does not mean perfect voice, but no luck so far."

"Sit down," came a sassy voice from the college girl's side of the booth, "it's not like you can sing, either!"

The girl turned away from them, settling back into her seat, and Jin could hear her saying to her table "But I sing better than her." He looked over at Mana; Mana was staring at Sachi warily. He followed her gaze as the black-haired girl turned and sat up on her knees in her seat, peeking over into the next booth. Even he wasn't sure he was stupid enough to say what she said next.

"You're telling me that's a girl?"

The only answer she got was hysterical laughter.

Hachi kept a firm hold on her twin's arm when the third singer came back to her booth, and didn't let go again until it was Sachi's turn to go. The girl strode up to the microphone, sticking her tongue out cheekily as she went. Mana sighed lightly. "Here we go." Jin blinked; Mana looked up at him with an almost-smile. "Sachi's a grouch, but she likes being in the spotlight. She hams it up."

"Ah..." Jin blinked, turning to watch the girl as the music started, and raised an eyebrow. The first part of the song was in English, bold and abrasive like the twin herself, although it switched back to Japanese quickly enough. The apparition tilted his head at the lyrics. _Sceneries being blown away seem to whirl in front of me. Even if I'm desperate I won't overlook my target again. _It was a very bold song. Hachi rolled her eyes.

"She always sings songs that are supposed to be sung by men..."

"Nothin' wrong with that." Jin sat back as Hachi stood herself. "Yer up next?"

"Yeah, we always go one after the other. It's kind of fun watching people do double-takes." The girl was smiling. "One of these days we'll do a duet, then maybe we'll actually place."

The twins slapped hands as they passed each other at the microphone. Jin watched, amused, as several people openly stared. "They like doin' stuff like this, don't they?"

"Sachi is more into the performance aspect than Hachi is." Mana fiddled with her soda pop, twirling the straw in the glass. "I could do without the contests, myself, but they really enjoy them."

"But yer still gonna sing, right?" Jin tilted his head; Hachi's love song was sweet and low compared to her sister's attitude of get out there and fight. _No one can write the dealings of a fairy-tale, the alchemy of love._ It was bittersweet stuff for a kid to sing. He wondered if they deliberately juxtaposed each other like that; looking at the brash, challenging girl in the boyish outfit and then seeing the crooning sweetheart all pretty in pink had to play with more than a few heads. Next to him, Mana was nodding softly.

"They don't give me a choice."

"Darn straight we don't." Sachi slid into the booth across from them. "Mana's the better singer out of the three of us. She doesn't get to get off easy."

Next to him, the blonde flushed slightly and sipped her soda. Jin chuckled lightly. Mana certainly didn't _seem_ like the type of girl who enjoyed getting up in front of a crowd. He was interested in seeing just how that worked.

A few minutes later, Hachiko settled into her seat next to them. "Mana, you're up in four rounds." The girl's nose was wrinkled slightly; she looked exactly like her twin had shortly before. "Oh, and whatever you do don't look at the booth nearest the door."

Mana groaned. "She's not."

Hachi nodded, grabbing her twin by the arm before she could get up to look. "Look at it this way. It's just one more thing you do better than she does."

"Right..." Mana looked utterly _miserable_. Jin reached over, prodding her lightly. She sighed. "What?"

"Lookit it this way." He gave her a cheerful smile. "After yer run-in earlier, she'll probably leave ya alone."

"True." But Mana continued to sulk, right until her turn came. Jin watched, amused, as Sachiko threatened to drag her onto the stage herself. Still, she did get up, and she did sing. The lyrics made him almost feel sad as he listened to it; it was a song about wandering through life and trying to find a reason to live. He tilted his head as she finished and headed back to her seat; she was consciously not looking towards the door as she plunked down next to him. "Never again."

"Ya did fine," Jin assured her, ruffling her hair. The girl sighed, ducking away from his hand. He chuckled. She was getting predictable.

They stuck around for a while after the contest ended... none of the three placed... until they could leave without having to deal with 'the group by the door.' Jin found he actually enjoyed walking along behind the three girls, listening to them banter and tease each other as he looked around. The human world was a nice place, practically an easygoing one compared to the Makai. At times it almost reminded him of a more pleasant version of Gandara, but the buildings here looked a lot less hostile. He rather liked it.

At one point he thought he felt a chill on the air. Looking around, he made mental note of a couple of street signs and kept walking. Mana could add it to her map later. He was in no real hurry.

* * *

Mana stared out the glass door in her room, teacup in her hands, and wondered how she'd managed to get her pajama bottoms on the night before without getting her skirt off first. Sighing, she turned to rummage around in her drawers, finally settling on a brown skirt and a dusty red shirt. Scowling at the mirror- she'd gone to bed without brushing her hair again- she grabbed a pink undershirt to throw on under the t-shirt. There. That looked sufficient. Mana studied her reflection in the mirror critically. Cute and unassuming, that was how she was supposed to look. Nothing strange or unusual here. Not at all...

Jin was already up in the next room. "Mornin', Mana!"

"Good morning." Carrying the teacup over to the sink in the kitchen, she glanced back as the demon snickered lightly. "Something funny?"

"Nope." Jin looked cheerful. "Wot's for breakfast, then?"

She groaned lightly. He _would_ bring up cooking. "Are scrambled eggs okay? I want to get an early start on the search."

Jin nodded, flopping onto the couch. "Ya know where we're headed today?" She mumbled a small 'yeah' in reply. He'd given her a new point the night before, one that seemed to go along with the previous stray. Focusing on her kitchen work, she did her best to tune the redhead out when he came over to watch what she was doing. It worked until she backed up right into him, sloshing raw egg all over her hands and the floor as a result. The blonde squealed; the apparition backed up so fast he almost tripped over his own feet. "Sorry! I'm sorry! 'At was an accident!"

_Ugh_. "Jin, you idiot..." Mana set the bowl down, hurrying over to the sink to rinse her hands off. "Gross..." Jin peeked over her shoulder, concerned. Mana went for the spoon. "Back! Out of the kitchen, now!"

"Ahright, ahright, no need to be hittin' anyone!" Jin cringed away from her, his hands up over his head, and managed to trip himself up right at the edge of the counter. The wind apparition yelped, reaching for anything to keep himself standing, his fingers hooking one of the drawers as he went down... and pulling it out completely. There was a startled yelp and an ear-splitting amount of clatter as her entire collection of forks, butter knives, and spoons slid clean out of their settings and onto his head, the drawer itself following afterwards with a dull thudding sound. Mana stared, her raised hand dropping to her side, as Jin sat in the middle of the mess of silverware, holding his head. He looked... _pathetic_. She felt herself shake lightly. His expression was absolutely _comical_...

Jin peeked up at her from behind his arms, blinking in a confused sort of way. Mana raised one hand to her mouth; he looked like a little child right then, scolded and told to go sit in the corner. Whining softly, his big blue eyes found hers- just like a child!- and he muttered one small, pitiful "Ow..."

The dam that had held fast for six long years burst. The wooden spoon slipped from her fingers, falling to the floor as Mana Koyama laughed until tears streamed down her face.


	10. Reunion

Happy Saturday, everyone! At least, I hope it's happy for you guys, with these stomach cramps I'm not so sure for myself. Ugh... But I got the chapter done! It's the shortest one yet, and it heralds the end of the first act. That's right; we've finally gotten to the reunion between Jin and Touya. To the few people who saw this one coming, way to go! You guessed the game! To the rest, be warned; you're probably going to hate me for this one. Aheh...

Sending out another thank you shout today, this time to one of my oldest and closest friends and readers. I swear I wouldn't do half the stuff I did if I didn't have this girl there to encourage me even as she scolds me for character abuse. She's an excelent friend and an awesome person to work with on my stories. Rizu Komesu, thanks a million for sticking around all these years. I'm still going to blame you for what I did to poor Touya in that one-shot, so there.

Actually, I should probably mention that, too. It seems that whenever I get bored and start jotting stuff on paper I always end up abusing one of two Yu Yu Hakusho characters- Yusuke Urameshi or the hexed ice-user Touya. Well, poor Touya was unfortunate enough to end up tossed into a mini-fic that actually got put online. If you guys want to see just how cruel I can be, go check out Life's a Drag. Consider it my Easter gift to all of you. Poor, poor Touya. If I'm not writing abusive minis about the guy, I'm getting the crap beat out of him in Dark Tournament. Okay, so I'm actually getting really, really good with the guy in that game. But the fic is still... just... oh, go read it and you'll see.

So let's go!

* * *

Just when Mana thought her Monday couldn't get too much worse, she saw Yuki approaching her between classes. The girl had already overslept that morning, leaving herself no real time to get ready for school. Entirely Jin's fault, she decided, as she never would have needed to sleep in if they hadn't somehow ended up sitting on her couch chatting through half the night. Honestly, she couldn't even remember having gone to bed; Jin must have carried her in. The thought annoyed her slightly; he was entirely too friendly sometimes. Then again, she would have been late for school had he not also taken the time to come in and wake her up once he'd figured out she was running late.

That hadn't stopped her from actually being late, not once it had become apparent that she still needed to cook. In her rush, she'd also managed to forget to pack a lunch, which meant she'd be going without at lunch today... and she was getting hungrier by the minute just thinking about it. And now, to top it all off... ah, _fiznit_.

Yuki leaned against Mana's desk, her palms pressed flat against the surface. "So." _Shit_... "Who was he?"

Mana looked up at her blankly, mentally throwing every swear she knew at the black-eyed teen. "Who was who?"

"Don't play stupid, Koyama." The girl was practically hissing. "Tall, athletic build, big blue eyes. The redhead. Who was he?"

Mana forced herself to go with a more easygoing answer than the rather crude dismissal her instinct was telling her to use. "He's just a friend of mine. I already told you his name."

"Well, yes, you did. Jin, right?" The look on the girl's face reminded Mana of an animal stalking its prey. The blonde shifted; she wasn't going to be hunted that easily. "So what high school does he go to?"

She thought...? Oh, for pity's sake, she thought he was in high school?! He didn't look _that_ young! "I don't see what it matters. He's not from around here anyway."

"Really?" Yuki actually sat gingerly on the edge of Mana's desk. "So what was he doing out with you?"

This could _not_ be happening... Mana forced herself to remain calm. The teacher would be getting there in just a few minutes and Yuki would have to go back to her desk then. She thought fast. "We knew each other as kids. His parents were friends with my mother. He was in town for the weekend, so he decided to drop by."

"Ah." Yuki studied her nails; Mana could practically feel two of the other girls around them leaning closer. "That must suck, having your boyfriend life that far away."

The blonde stared. Was she just _stupid_? "He's not my boyfriend."

"Really?" Yuki leaned closer. "You're sure about that?"

Mana gave her a level stare. "Positive. He is not my boyfriend."

"Good." Yuki sounded suspiciously cheerful as she headed back to her desk. "Then we shouldn't have any problems."

For the life of her, the blonde didn't _want_ to know what that meant.

The school day seemed to drag on forever just to get to lunch. By the time the break rolled around, Mana found she desperately needed _air_. The classroom was just too stuffy, even near the windows. She needed to get outside. Pushing her way through the groups of students in the hallway, Mana headed for the stairs up to the roof. Air...

The cold was enough to stop her in her tracks. Mana froze, her hands still on the door. She'd barely opened it a crack and already she could feel the cold. She knew that feeling; it was the same one she'd felt searching for Touya. But what was he doing at her school? She knelt, trying to peer through the door, and hissed silently to herself. Of course. Urameshi was up there, too. She watched as he paced, an irritable look on his face. "So that's it. Until Hiei decides to show up again, we have nothing."

There was a moment of silence, and then a voice Mana had never heard before spoke up. "Are you sure Kurama has no idea where he's gone? I don't like the idea of leaving this to Hiei's whims."

"I've already talked to Kurama. He really doesn't know where Hiei is, but he's looking. Believe me, he wants to find Jin just as much as we do."

Mana had to force herself to hold still. Damn it. _Damn it_. This wasn't right, this wasn't fair... somebody upstairs had to be having a very good laugh at her. All along, Touya had been with _him_? Mana gritted her teeth, cursing silently. Then the other detective Jin had been talking about... "What about the person who loaned you the demon compass? Might they be able to help us?"

A third voice cut in, another one she recognized- Kazuma Kuwabara. "That could work. She does-"

"No." Urameshi was shaking his head firmly. "That's not an option. Sorry, Touya, but we can't ask for her help."

Why that son of a... "May I ask why not?" That voice was coming from the left of the door. Mana pushed it open another inch, trying to see. No luck...

Urameshi was staring out over the school. "Honestly? Because I just don't want to get her involved." Mana clenched her fist at her side. That _jerk_, that... that... "She's a good kid. Pretty smart, too. The way I see it is, she can do a lot more with her life than detective work, but only if she lives that long. I don't need to ask for her help just when she finally seems to be getting discouraged."

That... that... the door nearly closing on her nose shook her back into reality, that and a small almost-chuckle from the other side. "I take it she's not a fighter, then?"

"They called her a medic. Apparently she's pretty good fighting other humans, but that doesn't mean anything against apparitions. Koyama can't regenerate her own energy, so she can't use any energy-based attacks to fight. The lowest C-class could tear her apart. Honestly, I'd rather see her give it up now and be a doctor or something than throw her life away like that."

She needed to say something. She needed to speak up, she needed to act, she needed to... Mana rested her forehead on the door. She couldn't find her voice if she wanted to. So all this time, he'd just been hoping she'd go and do something else with her life so she wouldn't get herself killed? There was movement on the other side of the door as someone stepped over next to Yusuke Urameshi. The healer felt numb, detached almost, as she observed him. So that was Touya. Jin was right, he was small. "Then Hiei really is our best chance."

"I still think we should as Koyama." Mana blinked. _Kuwabara_ was standing up for her? "You've seen her stand in the wind like she's listening to it. I think she could find him."

"We're not getting her involved." Urameshi flopped to the ground. "And that's final." Mana pulled back from the door, her eyes stinging. So that was what he thought of her, then. He couldn't even resent her properly, he just wanted her to quit and move on so... "Touya? Something up?"

Mana raised her head just as the cold apparition looked away. "It's nothing. I should be going now, before anyone else comes up here." She saw his eyes slide back towards the door. He was looking right at her. Mana swallowed; Jin had been right. No pupils...

Urameshi stretched. "Yeah, good idea. Mom's tanked again, so go ahead and hang out at my place for a while, she probably won't even notice. I promised Keiko I'd actually stay in school all day today, so I'm stuck."

"I don't think she meant sitting on the roof all day as in school, Urameshi." Mana slowly pulled the door shut as Kuwabara 'scolded' the detective. So that was it. She knew where Touya was now. Releasing the handle, she heard the door click softly into place. Wasn't that what she'd wanted, to prove she could figure it out on her own? And she had... hadn't she?

Turning, she hurried back down the stairs. Yuki and her friends looked up as she ran into the classroom, but she ignored them as she grabbed her bag and headed for the door. She heard Hachi calling her to wait as she brushed past the desks towards the exit, but neither of the twins could catch her before she was out the door. Screw afternoon classes, the blonde told herself. Right now she had other things to worry about. She just didn't care any more.

Her pace only slowed once she was a few blocks from her apartment. What, exactly, did she think she was going to say once she got home? What was she going to tell Jin? This was sudden, abrupt... unexpected. She hadn't planned on this. She didn't know what to do...

No. Of course she knew what to do. Mana shook herself firmly. She would go home, tell Jin she'd found Touya, lead him to where his friend was, and be done with it. Demons belonged in the Makai, away from humans. It was time for her 'guest' to go home. That was why they had been searching all along.

Jin was sprawled out on the swing. He looked perplexed as she jumped onto the balcony. "Ello, there, yer home early."

Mana stared at him, trying to decide what she could possibly say, and finally just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "You know, when somebody asks you if a person has any unusual features, blue hair _does_ count."

Jin's eyes went wide. "Ya found 'im? Ya found Touya?" The apparition jumped up, grinning. "Knew ya'd help me, I did. Where is he?"

"He's staying in town. We can go there now, if you'd like." Mana shifted, and then yelped. Whatever response she expected, it was _not_ for Jin to pick her up and give her a hug. "Put me down!"

The demon grinned, setting her back down. "So where do we go now? I think yer gonna like Touy, I really do. Didja actually talk to him or wot? Where-"

The redhead was starting to talk too fast for her to understand... and his ears were getting pointy. Mana groaned. "Jin, calm down."

To her amazement, he actually did. Jin stopped chattering and just stood there, staring at her. The healer shifted, uncomfortable with how intense his gaze suddenly was. "What?"

"Ya gonna be okay?" Jin reached over, ruffling her hair. "Ya look like ya been havin' a rough day."

"I'm fine." Mana tossed her book bag inside. "Come on, get your hat. If we hurry, we can still catch him."

The redhead nodded before reaching over one more time to ruffle her hair. "Thanks, Mana. Yer a good girl."

"Thanks," she mumbled, but didn't really mean it...

* * *

The girl was down.

Jin examined his cap, twirling it on his finger a time or two. Something was eating at her. If Mana thought she was hiding it, she wasn't doing a very good job. Maybe he should try and stay a few more days? He'd finally gotten her to laugh, too, even if he hadn't meant to...

The healer was still standing on the balcony when he went back out. He stared; hadn't she said she hated going out in her school uniform? "Yer not gonna change first?" Mana stared at him blankly; he reached over and poked her. "I thought ya don't like yer uniform."

"I don't." He stared at her until she sighed. "Okay, I'll go change."

"Good." Jin tilted his head. "Do ya think we could mebe get ice cream one more time afore I go?"

The girl stared at him... and almost, almost smiled. "Yeah, I think we can manage that."

Jin waited as she ducked into her room. So she'd found Touya, all on her own. Good lass, although she seemed decidedly not cheerful about it. The wind master frowned slightly to himself; the girl was going to be left all alone again once he was gone. He really needed to suggest she get a pet or something. What kind of pet would suit her, though? Most of the stuff he'd seen kept as pets wasn't that nice, but that was where he came from. Here in the human world they had things like cats and dogs. Maybe a little cat would suit her? What else was fluffy...

Mana stepping back out onto the balcony interrupted his thoughts. The girl was wearing the same yellow sundress he'd seen her in over a week before as she jumped to the fire escape. "Come on. Let's go."

They walked down the street in silence. Jin watched the healer as they went, contemplating how to get her to laugh again just one more time. He couldn't think of a way, not when the first time had been an accident. Sighing finally, he reached over and gave the girl a poke. "Hey, Mana."

Wow, that was a flat expression. "What?"

"Yer gonna let me stay with ya again, right?" The girl blinked, staring up at him. "Once I go home. When I come back to visit, yer gonna let me stay with ya, aren't ya?"

"I... I guess so." Mana shifted almost uncomfortably. Jin tilted his head. "I don't know why you'd want to, but okay."

"Bah!" The blonde actually jumped several inches when he jabbed her in the side. "I'd want to visit ya 'cause we're friends now, is it that hard to understand? Yer the one who asked the other day if I was comin' back, so don't look so glum about it."

The look the girl gave him was a perplexing one. He honestly couldn't tell if she was hurt or happy or what. Finally, she nodded, and while she didn't exactly smile she was no longer frowning, either. Heading into the ice cream shop, she even seemed a bit less depressed. Jin let her make the orders, waiting by the door as she did so; after all, she told him, there was no reason they couldn't walk and eat at the same time. The wind master wasn't so sure about that, but he decided not to argue. Mana had a sad little almost-smile on his face as she handed him the cone. "Come on. We should hurry."

"Ya rush too much." Jin walked along side the girl. "Gonna hafta come back a lot, I am, to be sure ya keep out of trouble. Otherwise ya might forget how to smile again, and we don't want that none. Yer cuter when ya smile." Mana's cheeks turned pink as she resolutely turned a corner. Jin raised an eyebrow; she always did that when the word 'cute' came up. They were headed towards the last area they'd been searching. "Wot's a matter, there? Yer getting' all colored up on me, ya are."

The girl barely mumbled in reply. "Why do you do this to me?"

The redhead tilted his head, catching a drip from his ice cream before he answered. "I don't know. Mebe 'cause ya make it fun?" He gave her a light poke in the side; she made a soft almost-squeaking noise. "And 'cause ya do that, too."

"Stop it!" Wow, he actually got her to whine. The girl was making a sulky face; Jin chuckled as she 'chastised' him. "You're such a brat sometimes."

"And yer stubborn. If ya don't smile for me soon, I swear I'm gonna hafta tickle ya."

The girl gave him a look so flat that for a moment she reminded him of Touya. "You're joking, right?"

"Do I look like the kinda guy who'd joke about tickles?" Jin reached over to give the girl a poke; she jumped out of the way. "Ya better finish that ice cream fast, wouldn't want ya to drop it."

"Thanks for the warning." The girl actually stuck her tongue out at him behind the cone; he wouldn't even have noticed if he hadn't been tall enough to see over it. He raised an eyebrow. Feisty was good. Feisty didn't leave room for depressed. He would definitely take feisty over depressed any day.

By the time the ice cream was gone they had gotten to the part of town that they'd been searching for Touya in last. The wind master could feel the chill already; his old friend was definitely in the area today. Jin looked down at the girl; she was frowning slightly as she started down a street they hadn't been on before. "Ya feel it, too?"

"Yeah. We're pretty close." The girl was frowning slightly. The redhead scowled.

"Hey, Mana?"

"Yeah?" She looked over just as he crossed his arms and blinked, a confused expression flicking across her features. "What is it?"

"Wot did I say was gonna happen if ya didn't smile for me?" The healer stared at him a moment before her eyes went wide. He had a hold on her before she could think to run. "Gotcha!"

"Damn it, Jin, don't you dare!" He only grinned as she protested. To his delight, the healer didn't just prove to be a little bit ticklish, she was a lot ticklish! The girl shrieked as he grasped at her sides, wriggling desperately in an attempt to pull away from him. He persisted until finally she giggled, and then had to hold her up as she gasped for breath. "J-jerk..."

"Hey, don't be callin' names, now. Yer the one who made that so difficult!" He ruffled the healer's hair. "I gave ya fair warning wot I was plannin' to do if ya didn't laugh for me again. Ya brought that on yerself and ya got no one else to blame."

The girl looked up at him, smiling in spite of herself. "You're still a jerk."

His answer was interrupted by the sound of his own name. The redhead turned, scanning the crowd, and couldn't help an excited yell. "Touya! Been lookin' all over for you, I have! Where ya been?"

He barely had any time to register the fact that the ice user was not alone before Mana broke away from him suddenly, very nearly knocking him down in the process, and took off running. All Jin could do was stare as Yusuke Urameshi took off after her.

* * *

That was not how she'd wanted that to go. Mana wove her way through the crowd, tears stinging her eyes. Curse it all, had she lost track of time? Urameshi should have still been in school. Of course he'd have cut out early, promises or not! It was just her luck that this would happen, just her rotten, stupid luck!

She ran as far as she could before she had to stop. She couldn't have made it more than three blocks; she was far better at sprints than long-distance running. Panting, she turned a corner and leaned against the side of a building to catch her breath. With any luck at all, they'd just let her go. The girl reached up, rubbing the moisture away from her cheeks with the back of her hand. What the hell was she crying about? She'd done exactly what she'd said she would, Jin could go home now, and she could finally have some peace and quiet. _Why_ was she _crying_?

A sudden thud next to her head made her jump. Urameshi must have been holding back; his fist hadn't actually damaged the wall, but it had certainly gotten her attention. They held each other's gazes for several silent seconds before he finally spoke. "You have got a lot of explaining to do."

"About what?" Mana forced herself to straighten up and stop panting. He wasn't even breathing quickly from chasing after her like that. Of course... "I guess I know how my compass broke now, don't I?"

The detective didn't seem amused. "How long have you known about him, Koyama?"

She shifted uncomfortably; the way he was leaning over her made her feel small. "It's been about two weeks now, I guess." Urameshi's eyes went wide. "I found him injured near my house. I took him back to my home to take care of his wounds, and I've been looking after him ever since."

For half a second she thought he was actually going to hit her. "You just... you just took him home?" His voice was thick with disbelief. "Do you even think? Did it even occur to you that maybe you should have talked to someone about it?"

Mana pushed away from the wall, ducking around him. "You took in Touya, didn't you? It's the same thing."

"It is not!" The sheer volume of the shout made her flinch. "Damn it, Koyama, I know them!"

The healer stopped. He... knew them? The girl groaned; suddenly everything seemed to be clicking into place. Damn it, Jin had talked about another detective and she'd never even thought to ask their name! Of course it would have been Urameshi, it was just her stupid luck. "Well, maybe I have ways of knowing a person, too. I wouldn't have done it if he'd been that dangerous."

Urameshi's entire expression went deadpan. "I've seen that guy throw tornados at people, and you're calling him not that dangerous?"

He could do _what_? "I had him sealed," the blonde mumbled. "As I said, he was hurt. He wasn't a threat."

"If it had been anyone else you could be dead!" Great, now he was shouting again. "Did you even check to see what kind of power he had before you went putting seals on him? I bet you didn't, did you?"

"His energy levels were completely manageable at the time," Mana hissed. "Unlike you, I actually do try to plan my moves!"

"Are the two of ya quite done yet?" Jin's heavy drawl made both of them jump. "We could hear ya a half a block down. It's not the wisest thing to be havin' a fight like this in the middle of the road, ya know. Tends to draw unwanted attention to ya, so says I."

Mana stared at the ground, her cheeks flushing. Urameshi was equally silent as Touya strode up behind Jin, the two of them providing an interesting contrast to one another. "Jin is right. It would be best if we found somewhere where the two of you could fight this out in peace."

"We weren't fighting," Mana protested quietly. "It was only a difference of opinions." Urameshi snorted lightly, but Mana refused to look at him. "I should be heading home now. I have things to take care of."

Jin stared at her, a look of hurt crossing his face. "Just gonna run off without sayin' goodbye proper, are ya? That don't seem right. I know ya can be more of a sport than that."

"I..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say. Her throat felt too tight to speak, so finally she just stepped forward and put her arms around him. The apparition seemed to understand; he hugged back, ruffling her hair with one hand. "You take care of yourself, okay? Don't forget, you promised."

"Now why would I go and forget a thing like that?" Mana felt the now-familiar sensation of being gripped by the waist and lifted into the air. She yelped in spite of herself; the redhead laughed and set her back down. "There ya go, that's a bit more lively now. Ya better laugh for me again someday, ya hear?"

She felt her face flushing. "You're an idiot, Jin."

The apparition only laughed...

_The twins were waiting when she got back to the apartment. Both were concerned, that concern quickly turning to shock once Mana explained what had happened that afternoon. She left out what Yusuke Urameshi had said about her on the roof; she had neither want nor cause to dwell on that right now. Hachiko hugged her and Sachiko asked if she wanted them to spend the night, but she shrugged off their concerns. She was going to be fine; there was nothing to worry about. She was a strong girl, and an independant one. She would manage. She sent them away with a small chuckle as Sachi tripped on her own shoelaces, and the look the twins gave her at the sound only made her all the more amused as she closed the door. It felt kind of nice, really, laughing did. Who knew, maybe she had learned something from the demon boy after all.  
_

_Jin, meanwhile, couldn't help a little bit of ear-twitching once he got home and saw all of his old buddies again. Chu clapped him on the back, asking where he'd been, and with a mischevious grin he'd replied that he'd been staying with a cute little human girl the whole time, but no one seemed to believe him. Jin didn't really mind. They spent most of the evening in good spirits- both the emotional and liquid kinds- and he wondered if maybe he hadn't missed home just a little bit after all. It wasn't until he headed up to his own room that night that he realized that he'd kept the hat but left his own clothing behind. Ah, well. He'd get it later._

_He had promised, after all..._

_

* * *

_

And that rounds out act one! Don't worry; Kaze no Fantasia will be updating again next Saturday, as scheduled. So if you don't mind, perhaps a few reviews to distract me from my aching stomach would be nice? Either way, I'll see you all next weekend!


	11. The Passage of Time

I hate writing transitory chapters. I hate them I hate them I hate them. They come out shorter than anything else out there, they're harder to write, and they really make my head hurt. But I got the chapter done! It's right here! Yay!

I don't really have much to say about this chapter except that I look forward to the next one. It's hard to write these two characters when they're apart. It's totally easy for me to write Jin and Mana when they're interacting with each other, but when the two are separated I'm just not sure what to do with them yet! As such, I really apologize if this chapter drags at all. It'll get better soon, I promise!

Another shoutout today, this one to a friend who's really pulled through for me over the past couple of years. She's been a great friend, as easy to confide in as my own sister, and she's never looked at me TOO strangely when I get hyper. Thanks, Abby, for listening to me ramble about characters you know nothing about and for seeing me through so much. Someday you'll probably get bored and read this story, and then it will all make sense. I promise.

Okay, now that I've glowed over someone I want to have a nice little rant. Suzaku. The saint beast. The thunder bug. Prism of Seven dude. I HATE THAT GUY! It's not that he's not cool in the manga or the anime, even if he IS every yaoi fangirl's dream, it's that they throw him at you in Tournament Tactics and it's just not fair! Your little party of five fighters versus seven Suzakus who's high-powered attacks come at you extremely fast- at about the same speed as all of your teams WEAKEST attacks, in fact. So you can't match them by speed; you have to hit them as hard as you can and hope your characters can dodge in the downtime between shots. It's completely unfair. In fact, the only time I actually enjoyed fighting Suzaku was the one miraculous round where all seven of... them? him? his narcisistic ass?... attacked Jin, one after the other, and he dodged every single shot. The odds of are that are about a thousand to one. I cheered... and then two rounds later he killed Hiei and I had to start all over, because without Hiei's Dragon Summon on an Overdrive and hopefully with a dose of crit, you're pretty much screwed. I cussed. I cussed like a wounded sailor. Argh!

On the other hand, the dialogue before the battle with Seiryu is awesome. Hiei laments that he HAS no old rival to fight as you're tearing through the Saint Beasts when old icey pops up and says hey, I'm right here! Of course, Hiei never considered him to be a rival to start with because he was just that pathetic... which makes Seiryu pretty cranky. He starts going on and on and on about how he's a real ice master now and is going to kill them all... and then out of nowhere Touya steps in, pretty peeved himself, and tells Seiryu that he's a disgrace to the art and at least he can die honorably. Hiei's like, whoa, okay, you go ahead and kill him, fine with me. You seem to have a grudge. It's one of those video game scenes that you just wish had been in the anime. Touya beating the crap out of Seiryu. Beautiful, man. Beautiful.

Other news: ohmygawd, I'm getting a Jin plushie! He's custom made by an artist I found on Deviantart and I should have him before the next chapter goes up! I'm sooooo excited! My fiance spoils me, yes he does. But then, he's getting himself a Touya plush, so I guess it's all good. Now what I really want is a Mana plush to round out the set. I'm weird that way.

Okay, Aerie rambled a bit too long there. Big thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter; my review count hit 100! I think that, more than anything, is what boosted me to actually finish this chapter; I knew people were waiting. Keep them coming and I'll keep replying and pushing forward even through the sticky chapters. Thanks to you all!

Random note: Touya's point of view is one of my favorites to write, mainly because he gets to observe Jin without always knowing just what the red-haired nutter is thinking. And we all know Jin is entertaining to watch, especially when you don't know what he's thinking. Whee.

So let's go!

* * *

Autumn break began only a few days after Jin left. Mana sighed, staring up at the living room ceiling as she lay on the couch. Sure, she'd agreed to volunteer for the university club again, but all of that had to be done in the afternoon and evening. It didn't leave her with anything to do with her mornings. And lately her apartment felt so quiet... so still... The girl rolled over, misjudged her distance from the edge of the couch, and ended up on the floor.

That was about when the doorbell rang.

Mana sat up, perplexed. The twins had gone away with their family to visit their grandfather's temple. Mana had been invited, but had declined to go. Other than the twins, there was no one who ever bothered stopping by her apartment. And they always knocked anyway.

The bell rang again. Frowning, the healer got to her feet and headed for the door. Hooking the chain, she popped it open a few inches. "Hello?"

Chocolate brown eyes rolled towards the ceiling behind black hair that- and she could never remember seeing it like this before- was _not_ slicked back. "You could just try asking 'who is it,' you know." Mana stared for a moment before silently unhooking the obsolete safety device and opening the door. Yusuke Urameshi stepped inside. "Hope you don't mind me dropping in. We need to talk."

"Yeah..." Mana pushed the door closed behind him as he looked around. "Yeah, we do." She headed towards the kitchen, automatically moving to get the iced tea from the refrigerator. Urameshi moved to the couch with out being told or invited to. He didn't speak until Mana came around with the drinks, and when he did it was with a light sigh.

"Look, I'm no good at this touchy-feely crap, so I'm just going to ask you flat-out. How serious are you about being a detective."

Mana sat down gingerly on the edge of the couch. He was blunt, as always. He didn't seem to have any idea what 'tact' meant. The girl studied her glass for a few moments before speaking. "I've been working towards this my whole life. I think I'm pretty serious."

"I was afraid you were going to say that." Urameshi leaned back against the back of the couch. "Look, we both know you have problems. Can I give you some advice, at the very least?" Mana nodded warily. "Learn to use a weapon."

"I'm already learning to use a weapon." Mana studied her glass. "I've been training with a bo staff for about three years now."

"A normal staff won't work. You need something that can withstand a demon's blows." The detective sipped his tea and blinked. "Hey, this is pretty good stuff."

"Thank you." Mana shifted her attention from her glass to her hands; her fingernails looked ragged... "So what do you suggest I do if a staff isn't good enough?"

He took another drink before he answered. "Touya made me think of it. There's this kid we know named Rinku who can move his energy through an object. He beat the crap out of Kuwabara once with a bunch of yoyos."

Mana choked on her tea. "Yoyos?"

"Yeah." The spirit detective winced. "Yeah. Pretty bad, huh? Rinku runs his own energy through the strings, kind of like they're part of his hands. They move around like snakes or something. That's what he calls him, actually, the serpent yoyos."

"And this is useful?"

Urameshi nodded. "Those things are tough. Even if the strings are cut they're still deadly. If you're serious about being a detective, that's what you need to learn to do. The spirit gun won't cut it if you need to save your energy to heal people. Using reiki to boost the power of an actual weapon should let you take some of that energy back when you're done with it."

"I can learn to do that." Mana watched as Urameshi looked around. She said nothing; deep down she knew she would probably be just as curious if she were in his house. Finally he turned to stare at her.

"The place is clean!"

The healer gritted her teeth. "Yes, I try to keep it that way, thank you..."

"I don't doubt it, sheesh." Urameshi drained his glass as Mana resisted the urge to shoot him. "It's just that I expected more of a mess if Jin had been living here for two weeks. The guy doesn't exactly sit still very well."

"Tell me about it," Mana muttered. Her 'guest' raised an eyebrow. "At first it was fine, he mostly slept off his injuries. But then he started getting bored and getting into things. Being kept indoors seems to make him a little crazy."

Urameshi actually laughed. "Jin is crazy even when he's not indoors. The guy has more energy than anyone I've ever met." The blonde nodded slowly in agreement. "Honestly I expected him to leave more evidence of being here."

"He tried. I had to keep an eye on him constantly or he'd go through my stuff." Mana set her cup down. "Can I ask you a question?"

"I guess so." Urameshi was eyeing the contents of his glass. Mana chewed her lip for a moment. There was something she'd been wondering about for a while now, and maybe while he was being civil she had a chance to ask it.

"Why did you become a spirit detective?"

Urameshi huffed lightly, causing his bangs to flutter just a bit. "Wow, you get right to the point too, don't you?"

"If you don't like the question you don't have to answer," Mana shot back tersely. Ugh, his stupid attitude...

"Alright, alright, I'll answer. Yeesh, you get snappy really fast." The healer stiffened. "Do you want the long version or the short version?"

"Whatever gets the story told works for me." She was not snappy... was she?

"The short version it is. Basically, I died." Mana stared. "Only apparently I wasn't supposed to die right then, and when they had nowhere to put me they let me come back here." Urameshi sat back with a light shrug. "And the next thing I know, I'm appointed spirit detective."

"Just like that..."

"Yeah, pretty much. On one of my jobs I had to bust Hiei and Kurama, and they've been helping me ever since as sort of a community service gig. Kuwabara..." the detective cringed lightly. "Kuwabara just sort of jumped into it on his own. For the first few cases I was on my own, though."

"They just kind of roped you into it?" Mana felt almost offended... and almost a little hurt. After all the time she'd put into training herself...

"So how did you get into this?" Urameshi eyed her over the edge of his glass. "I've asked a few questions. You've never trained with Genkai, but what you can do is similar to what she does with her spirit wave. Where'd you learn it?"

The blonde studied her hands again. "A lot of it, the control aspects, at least, I learned from my mother. What didn't come directly from her came from reading a journal of hers after she died."

The detective actually looked impressed. "So you're self-taught? Geez, and here I thought Kuwabara was the only one stubborn enough for that."

"I've had some help." Mana touched her glass lightly, watching the marks her fingertip made in the condensation. "I've learned from who I could, when I could. And like I said, I had my mother's journal."

"That's still got to take a lot of work." Yusuke set down an empty glass. "Listen, look into learning to use weapons like I suggested, okay? You're not going to do any good as a detective if you get yourself killed trying to hold on to your energy."

She saw him to the door a few minutes later, feeling... humbled, almost. Maybe she did have him figured out all wrong? The blonde shook herself lightly; all she was doing was letting this get to her. She couldn't do that.

The apartment was too quiet once the door was closed. Grabbing her bag, Mana headed out the balcony doors and down the fire escape. She needed to go for a walk and get away from the heavy silence that even her favorite songs were doing nothing to hide. She had never been bothered by the silence before. Now it seemed heavy and oppressive somehow. For once she actually wanted to get out of the house.

She ended up downtown, wandering in and among the faceless crowds. Eventually, for lack of anything better to do, the healer roamed her way into an arcade. Games were light and colorful, and occasionally she did find ones with nice puzzles. True, that was a big waste of money, but as much money as Jin had _eaten_ through, somehow that didn't seem to matter. It wasn't like she used her savings for anything other than books anyway.

Honestly, Mana couldn't even remember the last time she went to an arcade alone. There was a lot of stuff she couldn't remember doing, now that she thought of it. Unexpected picnics in the part, for example, were something she could remember doing with her mother, but once she was gone... Mana frowned. The only time she ever went on picnics now was when the twins dragged her out for cherry blossoms. Just sitting in a park with Jin for no reason... that had been fun. She'd actually enjoyed that...

"Koyama?"

Mana blinked, turning. It took her a moment to recognize him in normal clothing, but the name came quickly once she saw the green eyes and red hair. "Kurama?"

The teenager glanced around. "Actually it's Shuichi right now. I'm here with my little brother." Mana must have made a very confused face, because the fox actually gave her a wry smile. "That's right, I don't believe anyone has told you about that yet, have they? I have a family here in the human world." He smiled almost apologetically. "I'm afraid I can't fully explain it here, of course. Not with-"

"Hey, bro!" Kurama turned as a boy with black hair ran up to him. "I need some more coins, please?"

"What happened to the ones I gave you?" Mana remained silent as Kurama rooted through his pockets for change. The boy looked... no, don't use the eyes to feel it... the boy _was_ normal. An absolutely normal human being.

"Rika's here, so I need to stock up now." The kid made a face. "If I loose to a girl again the guys will never let me hear the end of it."

The redhead chuckled as he handed his 'brother' a fistful of change. "Well, I suppose we can't have that, can we?" The boy thanked him and ran off. Mana felt slightly uneasy as the person who'd been introduced to her as a cutthroat thief turned back to her. "As I said, it takes some explaining."

"I see." This felt... awkward. "Do you two come to the arcade a lot?"

"Yes, actually, he asks me to bring him here at least twice a month." 'Shuichi' chuckled. "I think he knows I'll give him money so he doesn't have to spend his own allowance. But then, I suppose that's part of being an older brother. What brings you here?"

"I just needed to go for a walk." Kurama nodded, ever polite, and Mana swallowed lightly. "So... is anything here any good to play? I've never actually been in here before."

As he showed her around, Mana wondered to herself if maybe Urameshi's crew wasn't so bad after all...

* * *

When Jin hummed or whistled, he usually just let flow with whatever melodies his hyperactive mind came up with. The notes were easygoing but unpredictable, and honestly Touya liked it that way. This new tune that the wind master kept piping up with was starting to get stuck in his head. "Jin." The redhead didn't hear him over the soft song. Sighing lightly, the icy-eyed apparition tried again. "Jin!"

"Hmm?"

"You're doing it again."

Jin blinked, turning his attention from the lightning dancing through the angry black clouds. "Wot, now? Wot am I doin'?"

"You're whistling that song again. It's beginning to get annoying."

"Oh." The wind tamer seemed unconcerned. Then again, that suited his personality. Touya sighed inwardly, reflecting on the fact that he'd spent two weeks frantically searching for his friend and Jin... Jin had been enjoying what amounted to a nice vacation. Oh, he'd had a hunch that his old comrade wouldn't be too concerned with getting home when he found him, but the reality of it had reminded him just how carefree Jin really was all over again. The redhead had not been worried _at all_...

Touya scowled lightly. "Jin!" The whistling stopped. The ice master sighed to himself as his old friend looked over at him with an almost confused expression. "What song is that, anyway?"

"Eh, I don't remember the name real well. Fantasia, I think she called it." Jin gave a noncommittal shrug. "It was one Mana sang a lot when she was doin' housework and the like."

"Mana? You mean the Koyama girl, right?" Jin nodded hard enough to make his hair bounce a bit. Touya leaned more comfortably against the tree he was using as a backrest. He had become just a little curious about the human girl, he had to admit. "How did you end up staying with her, anyway?"

"She just kinda took me in. Apparently I took a crash right near where she lived. I was pretty lucky for that, considerin' the shape I was in. She dragged me back to her house..." Somehow Touya had the feeling he meant that literally... "and patched me up somethin' good. I'll tell ya what, I don't much care for runnin' into an ambush like that again. Took a few days for me stomach to mend."

Touya nodded slowly. "Yusuke did say the girl was a medic. I suppose that worked out in your favor."

"I'll say it did. She had everything patched up but me stomach afore I even woke up. Made her sick, though. She's got energy problems somethin' fierce. I doubt ya see many humans that learn feeder tricks like that."

"She's a feeder?" Touya sat up, feeling slightly more interested. Feeders were rare enough in the demon world; the phrase referred to creatures that learned to suck the energy from others without doing damage to the physical body. He didn't even realize humans had the potential to _do_ that short of using moves like Genkai's mirror blast. Jin was nodding, though.

"It's how she keeps from takin' ill. Her friends, and she's only got two of 'em in the whole world, they give her a bit of wot they got and her body uses that instead. It's real clever, I think."

Touya nodded. Yusuke hadn't mentioned the girl having any abilities like _that_. "So that's where you were staying while I was out looking for you."

"Hey! I was lookin' for ya too, once I was up and movin' again!" Jin gave him a resentful look that made the ice apparition want to laugh; half the time the redhead's sulks just came out looking comical. "I did my share of walkin' around, tryin' to track ya down, and ya had to always be on the move on me!"

Touya rolled his eyes. "Suzuka set the gate disks up so they'd drop us as close to Yusuke's hometown as possible. You should have known where to go to find me."

"Well, 'e didn't tell me that. Oughta knock him in the head for that one, I should. It's bad enough the things can't even drop a group in once place, has to go and scatter them like that, but then he can't even tell a body about where they're ending up?"

"He probably did and you just weren't paying attention." An unfair stab, probably- Jin paid attention to things far better than anyone gave him credit to- but he distinctly recalled Suzuka stressing how the disks worked and where they would land when Touya had been given them. Then again, the fact that Suzuka had given him two of the disks and not Jin may have said something about the situation as well. "I was back in the Ningenkai and looking for you just as soon as I'd gotten Risho back to the old village."

"Useless git," Jin muttered. Touya sighed. Perhaps it was best to change the subject; the argument that Jin had gotten in with Risho after the Dark Tournament _still_ gave him a headache when he thought about it. The fact that the earth-wielder had gotten them ambushed could not possibly have helped matters any. Jin seemed to like talking about the human girl, maybe he could salvage his friend's mood that way.

"So the medic sang a lot?"

"Medic's got the wrong image. The girl was a healer." Jin was staring up at the sky again. "She sang a lot when she was doin' her schoolwork or cleanin' house. I think she did it to keep herself from bein' lonely. A song gets stuck in yer head real easy when ya hear it that often."

Touya nodded. "So you enjoyed staying in the human world?"

"Yep." The wind master grinned slightly. "Gonna enjoy goin' back to visit, too. Ya ought to come with me. Ya might enjoy just takin' a break for a while."

"We'll see..." Touya sat back, looking up as more lightning flashed across the clouds without rain. The human world sky did make the offer seem inviting... "We'll see."

* * *

Truth be told, Jin was already starting to wonder just a bit about his little friend. Did she have enough energy, or was she getting sick again? Hachiko, she'd look after Mana if the healer would let her, but Mana had a hard time being taken care of. He'd figured that much out already. The girl had been taking care of herself for a while, though. Maybe he wasn't giving her enough credit. Yeah, she probably did just fine when there wasn't a constant strain on her energy. She'd be okay.

It was at mealtimes in particular, Jin decided, that he really missed the human world. Stuff there just tasted better... and he didn't have to worry so much about what was in it. Sometimes a meal in the demon world was better if you were ignorant about it's origins. That and sometimes even the vegetables tried to bite you back. Jin had never been one for gardening in the Makai. You took your life into your hands sometimes just from picking up a hoe...

There was a crash downstairs. The wind master sat up curiously, but the sound was followed by silence. This late at night, that probably just meant Chu was drunk again. He liked living with the other dark tournament fighters well enough; they were an entertaining lot and there was always someone around willing to spar when he needed a fight. Sure, living in a house with that many men meant you could get pretty hurt walking through a room in the dark- you never could trust what was on the floor- but it also meant he always had someone around to chat with when he felt like being social. The members of the old Rokuyukai team, Chu and Rinku, they were pretty neat for chatting. The other two, he still wasn't so sure about. Suzuka, he was fine when he wasn't coming up with things that could blow your arms off if you used them right. The other guy, Shishiwakamaru, he wasn't exactly the friendly type; he still firmly maintained the stance that he hated them all. Jin figured they were winning him over. None of them were dead yet, anyway.

It still felt pretty good to be home, though. Jin flopped back onto his bed under the open window. He'd missed the gang a bit, when he'd stopped to think about it. There just hadn't been any sense to worrying himself over it. They'd found Touya, and now he was home. It was kind of nice to be home.

He just wished the food was better...

* * *

_Mana started going for walks more and more in the weeks that followed, even after school started up again. Sometimes she ran into Kurama and his younger brother at the arcade, sometimes she went out with the twins, and sometimes she just wandered around town for a few hours on her own. She started playing games at the arcade and actually found a few she liked. Once the twins found out it became a new habit of theirs; arcade every Saturday, after school. It all seemed to become worthwhile one afternoon when she and Sachiko coaxed a reluctant Hachiko onto a Dance Dance Revolution pad; the one short laugh that had escaped Mana when her friend landed on the ground a minute and a half later had kept both girls staring at her all afternoon. She also tried smiling at school after that, just twice, and the results were just as amusing as they had been at the arcade. The first time she smiled the student walking next to her almost tripped on his own feet and Yuki wouldn't stop staring until the bell rang to go home. The second time had been in the presence of Urameshi; he hadn't stopped staring, either, but that had been the goal all along, so she didn't really mind._

_In this manner autumn faded into winter. Sarayashiki Middle School changed into it's winter gym uniforms, which made all the girls feel far more comfortable in class; even if they were separate from the boys, there was still all those exercises done outdoors! The twins hovered around Mana again once they got home from their trip, worrying like they always did, but eventually things seemed to settle back into normal. She kept the balcony doors unlocked in case Jin came back, but she didn't concern herself over it beyond that. He'd show up when he showed up. She had other things to worry about, like why Yuki kept staring at her as though she had something to say and then not saying it. That was getting just a little unnerving..._

_And life went on._


	12. Back to the Ningenkai!

Saturday again, ne? Well, then, let's get on with the pre-chapter babble. First things first...

I HAVE A JIN PLUSHIE! AND OMGOMGOMG IT IS SOOOO CUTE! Yep! My custom-made plushie finally came in the mail, and it is so so so so cute! My sister was on the phone with me when I got it in the mail, and she hung up on me immediately before I could start squealing in her ear. Because I do that sometimes. I squeal. Really, really loudly. Sorry, sis... BUT OMIGAWD! PLUSHIE! THANK YOU, BABY!

I also now own Yu Yu Hakusho in it's entirety. Ray got me season three, the one season I was missing, so now I have the complete anime... he's not allowed to buy me anything else for a while... and I can do that much more research on character habits and quirks as a result. I'll sort of be easing myself into introducing more of the main cast from here on out, starting with one of Jin's... friends. Yeah, friends. From the Dark Tournament. Oh, boy... who's idea was it to let Suzuka loose again?

Random note about the chapter: An _omadawn_ is, at least judging from the numerous Irish fairy tales I've come across the word in, a very, very, very stupid person. Calling someone by that word is basically calling them the biggest moron in the world. It is, purely and simply, an idiot. Just because I know you guys will wonder.

On another random note, there's a scene in here that I've been planning for so long now, and I would get the evilest grins just thinking about it, and I'm so, so, so happy to have finally gotten to write it even though it is so, so, so, so wrong and... well... let's just say that some black eyes are worth the time it takes to get around to them.

A huge thanks to my reviewers, who keep me going and keep me laughing just as much as my characters do. I get the best reviews, I swear. I can't WAIT to hear what you guys have to say about this one!

So let's go!

* * *

Jin was on a mission. And it wasn't going well.

"Come on, just two gates. There and back again, that's all I'll be needing."

"I already told you no." Suzuka wasn't budging. "Do you have any idea how much energy it takes to make those disks? I can't afford to spare them for your joyrides to the human world!"

Damn it. "Come on, now, I made a promise. Yer not gonna go makin' me break me promise, are ya? Ya wouldn't do that."

The master of a thousand techniques crossed his arms. "I am not giving you the gates. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to take care of."

Probably trimming his eyebrows, the redhead thought with a scowl. "Wot if I could make it worth yer while?"

"I highly doubt that's possible." Suzuka tried to walk around him; Jin stepped into his path.

"Wot if I told ya I know a feeder over there? A human feeder." There, that had his attention nicely; Suzuka had stopped to stare. "I bet ya never even heard of one o' those, have ya? She's just a young lass, too, but she can draw the energy out of ya real easy. Bet she could teach ya the trick, if ya asked her nice-like."

He could see Suzuka trying to resist the temptation. "How young is she, exactly?"

"She's just a little bit of a thing! Fourteen years old, already got the trick mastered." Hopefully Mana wouldn't hurt him for this _too_ badly... "Wouldn't that be somethin' ya'd like to learn, a deadly kiss like that? Seems like it'd fit yer style real good, wot with that rainbow trick ya do and all."

"A deadly kiss?" The blond gave him a skeptical look. Jin nodded eagerly. "Okay, you've got me interested. But what makes you think this girl would teach me something like that?"

"I'm bettin' she'd do it if ya had somethin' to offer in return. She's a right good girl, but she's got energy problems something awful, that's why she learned to feed. I bet ya might just have somethin' that can help her with that, right?"

"I might." Suzuka looked thoughtful. Jin waited. "Fine. We'll go in the morning."

"I was kinda hopin' to go today, actually."

"Tomorrow!"

"Ahright, ahright." Jin let him pass, grinning to himself. It had been about three months since he'd come back to the Makai, long enough that he figured it was about time to make good on his promise and pay the little healer a visit. Heading down the hall, he gave Touya's door a sharp rap. "Hey, Touy!"

At first there was no answer, but after a moment of waiting he finally heard a sigh. "It's open, Jin. Come in."

He pushed the door open, stepping into his friend's tidy space. "Hey!" Touya looked up from his seat by the window. "I'm headed across to the Ningenkai tomorrow. Ya gonna come with me?"

The ice apparition studied him for several long moments. "You're visiting the girl?"

"Sure am! Gonna keep her company a while, and I might even stop in and see if ol' Yusuke is up for a fight, that's wot I'm thinkin' of doin'. So are ya in or aren't ya?"

There was a soft sigh. "Alright, Jin. I'll go with you."

Jin beamed. "Good. We'll be goin' in the mornin' once Suzuka decides he's ready."

Touya's ice-blue eyes regarded him skeptically. "Why is Suzuka coming along?"

"'Cause otherwise I don't get the gates. See ya in the mornin'!"

The redhead heard a soft-spoken 'right' as he left the room. Well, that was all going according to plan! Grinning even wider, the wind master headed back down the hall towards his own quarters. Mana would forgive him for using her as a bribe, he was sure of it. This was going to work out just fine for everyone. He could hardly wait. It was a good thing he'd kept those human clothes...

* * *

Saturday's sky was slate-gray as Mana hurried home from school. An unusually cold December had given way to an equally rough January, and there was talk of deeper snows ahead. The girl sighed, looking around at the soft piles of white and the dirtier gray slush on the roadways; they had already seen an above-average snowfall for this year. Mana liked living in an area that sported the occasional white winter, but it was hard on her legs. She wanted to get home and get a heavier skirt and maybe some leg warmers on before she and the twins met to head for the arcade.

Puffing warm air onto her fingertips, the blonde stared warily up at the ladder to the fire escape. The metal rungs were probably ice cold. This was going to suck. Sighing, the girl climbed up onto the trash bins and made the jump across to the ladder. A moment later she yelped as her hands slipped away from the bar entirely. The rungs weren't just icy cold, they were wet! Ah, fiznit...

Her fall was broken mid-way down by a pair of strong arms. "Easy, now! Yer gonna hurt yerself if ya go and-" Mana couldn't stop her arm from flailing slightly, hitting the demon in the face and knocking the hat clean off his head. "Hey! Easy, easy! Yer gonna make me drop ya!"

"J-jin?!" The redhead laughed. "When did you get back?"

"Just now!" He set her on the ground carefully. "And just in time, I'd say! Ya coulda really gotten hurt just now. Wot happened? I never saw ya slip before."

"The bars are wet." Mana wiped her hands dry on her skirt, trying not to sound _too_ pleased to see him. "Are you staying long? I mean, do you have any actual plans or are you just stopping through?"

Jin chuckled softly, every bit as overly-bubbly as she could remember him being. "I figured I'd stay a while, yeah. I got a few friends ya might be wantin' to meet, too."

Mana blinked, noticing for the first time the two other apparitions standing off behind Jin. Touya she recognized, but the other one was new to her. Not quite as tall as Jin- although she suspected his spiky yellow hair added to the illusion that he was even that tall- he was looking her over with critical blue eyes. "So this is her, hmm?"

"Yep!" Mana flinched slightly as Jin clapped a hand onto her shoulder. "Mana, this is me buddy Suzuka. He's the guy who makes the gates for us."

Suzuka's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Honestly, Jin, can't you introduce me better than that? You should call me-"

Jin cut his friend off short, a faintly annoyed look crossing his face. "I know what it is ya like to go by, and I've told ya before I'm not callin' ya that. Ya go and find someone else to make ya feel pretty." Mana wasn't sure she wanted to know what Jin was talking about, but Suzuka looked ready to press the matter. Fortunately, Touya chose that moment to step forward.

"I'm sure you two would love to argue this out further, but perhaps it would be best if we went inside to do it?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." Jin looked over at her hopefully. "Mana, is it okay if we go upstairs with ya? It's yer house, so yer the one with the say in it."

"I guess so." The girl shifted slightly; her ankles were getting cold. "Come on. The elevator is this way."

They were scarcely inside the small space when Suzuka swept into a low bow. "Allow me to introduce myself properly! I am the fighter known as the beautiful Suzuka, master of a thousand techniques and man of a thousand faces! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

"Yer a wretched omadawn is what ya are," Jin muttered sourly.

"What was that? What did you just call me?" Suzuka looked affronted. "You'd better tell me what that word means, or I swear I'll-"

"Boys," Touya said sharply. It seemed to do the trick; they both fell silent. Mana shifted uncomfortably; suddenly the elevator seemed very, very small. She was glad when they finally reached her floor and she could step out of it. Jin was right at her elbow as they headed down the hall, looking her over appraisingly as they went.

"So wot have ya been up to, then? Ya look better than ya did before. Ya got more energy!"

"I've been taking it easy." Mana unlocked the door to her apartment, silently hoping none of her neighbors would decide to come into the hallway for any reason. "Actually, I was just coming home to get changed. The twins and I were going to hang out in town before karaoke."

"Oh? Ya got somewhere new to go?" The redhead tilted his head curiously... and, she noted, shifted slightly to the side to keep Suzuka from getting around him. "Wot ya got planned?"

"We're going to go to the arcade first." He gave her a look of confusion; she explained it before he could ask. "It's a place to play video games."

"Now that's got some meaning to it!" She could almost smile at how excited he sounded. "Can I come with ya, Mana? Please?"

"I guess so." Mana dropped her bag on the table, observing the vaguely confused stares Touya and Suzuka were giving Jin. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

She headed into her room feeling... she didn't know what. Honestly, she was happy to see Jin again. A lot happier than she thought she'd be; the idea of her apartment not seeming so empty was inviting. But the fact that he'd brought friends was just a little daunting. If they were anything as active as he was, she could be in over her head.

Sighing, the girl realized there was nothing to be done about it and turned her attention to her outfit. Her favorite winter skirt had a warm crème-colored layer under a deep brown overskirt; if she wore it with a simple white button-up blouse and her favorite scarf, she should make an impression. Studying her reflection in the mirror, Mana gave herself a small nod and reached for her make-up kit. Now maybe she would feel a little more confident. Checking her reflection, she couldn't help a wry half-smile; she had read far too many fashion magazines to learn the tricks her mother hadn't been there to teach her. By the time she grabbed a pair of winter boots and headed back into the main room, she felt a lot better.

The balcony doors were open. Mana sighed lightly; she would have to run the little heater longer than usual tonight. Through the glass she could see Jin and Suzuka looking out at the city, but where was...

"I apologize for showing up uninvited. Jin seemed eager for me to come with him."

The healer turned. Touya had been looking up at the bookshelf. "Ah... it's okay. I don't mind."

The apparition gave her a crooked little smile, and Mana wondered vaguely which part of his hair was natural; the bulk of it was very short and pale blue, but his long bangs were a deep green that fell over one eye. "Your tone suggests otherwise. If it helps, I'll try not to be as demanding of your time or energy as Jin probably was." Mana could only nod. "You have some interesting titles here."

"Thank you. A lot of those are my fathers, though." The nod that she received was calmly appraising. "You can read them, if you want. I don't mind."

"I may just have to take you up on that." His eyes flicked behind her. Too late, Mana tried to turn. The ice apparition chuckled as Jin threw an arm around her from behind; she couldn't stop a light squeak from escaping.

"Suzuka says he's stayin' here. Ya ready to go yet, Mana?"

"Yeah." The girl held still for a moment before trying to pull away. "Jin..."

Smiling brightly, he let her go. "Eh, Mana? Do ya think I could maybe borrow a coat afore we go? It's pretty cold out there..."

Of course he wouldn't have a coat... "You can borrow one of my father's jackets if you'd like. You're pretty lucky, you know. He comes back home every New Years. You only missed him by two days."

"Lucky for me, then!" Did nothing daunt him? Mana felt the tiniest smile starting to form. "Yer gonna freeze yerself, though, wearin' a shirt that thin. Ya got a coat, too?"

"Of course I do." Mana headed back towards her father's empty room. Jin followed right along, waiting for the promised jacket. "I have to live in this weather, you know. Does it even snow in the demon world?"

"It depends on where ya go." He peered over her shoulder as she rooted through the closet. "Most places ya wouldn't know what snow is, but we got one or two areas where it never even melts. Just stays frosty and white all year round, it does. That's where ya get folk like Touya livin'."

"That makes sense." Ice apparitions had to live somewhere, she supposed. Ah, there was the heavy jacket she was looking for. She sighed in relief; for a moment she had been afraid her father might have taken it with him. "Here, try this on."

Jin took the coat obediently, doing as he was told for a change. "Yeah, this fits fine." Grinning slightly, he ruffled her hair again. She scowled lightly in response. "Oh, and do me a wee favor, could ya?"

"What?" Mana had a very bad feeling, especially when Jin glanced behind him before speaking again.

"Well, to get the gates I kinda might have had to try bribin' Suzuka a bit. If he asks about yer energy drainin' could ya maybe be a bit nice and tell him how it's done? He'd be willin' to make ya a trade for learnin' it."

The healer stared up at his open eyes. "You're kidding, right?"

His expression remained as guileless as ever. "Well, I had to get the gates from him somehow. He wasn't gonna give them over, and I did promise to come visit ya." Jin gave her a hopeful look. "Just be nice to him, mkay? Please?"

"Alright..."

They headed out the front door together, Jin asking her questions about what she'd done for the past three months the whole time. She told him about school festival and her father's visit and arcade on the weekends. He nodded through most of it, every so often getting side-tracked by things going on around them, and Mana couldn't help but almost feel as though no time had passed at all. It felt exactly the same walking with him as it had felt three months ago; she very nearly started to keep an eye out for Touya as they walked. Jin caught her looking around. "Ya expectin' to see someone today?"

"No..." she focused on the ground in front of her instead; the sidewalks had been icy lately. "So what have you been doing, anyway?"

"Nothin' much to talk of, really. I've done a bit of trainin' and a bit of kickin' back and that's about it." The redhead tilted his head, gazing skywards. "Well, there was a bit of a ruckus a couple of weeks ago when we thought a friend of ours had mebe drank himself to death, but he'd just passed out with his eyes open on us."

The healer frowned. "Is that even possible?"

"Sure is!" Jin sounded frighteningly cheerful. "We were just gettin' to arguin' about wot to do with his stuff when old biggie woke up on us. Gave the lot of us a scare, that one did!"

"Right..." Mana shifted her hands in her coat pocket, trying to keep her fingers warm. "Hey, Jin, you were in the Dark Tournament against Yusuke and his team, right? Is one of your friends named Rinku?"

"Eh?" Big blue eyes blinked down at her. "Rinku, yeah, he's a one of our lot. Wot were ya askin' for?"

"Someone told me that I ought to learn to use weapons the way he does." Mana stepped around a patch of sidewalk that looked particularly threatening. "They said it might be the only chance for me if I want to be a real spirit detective."

Jin frowned lightly. "Ya mean that's been in question?"

She kicked a clump of snow out of her way. "That's always been in question. I'm not enough of a fighter to be able to do the job on my own."

The apparition stopped walking and stared at her. Mana turned to look back at him, confused. "Not enough of a fighter? I've seen ya trainin' yerself! Ya work too hard to be brushed off like that!"

"Try telling that to Urameshi," the girl muttered bitterly. Jin stared down at her, his expression unreadable, and Mana remembered too late that he considered the detective to be a friend. "He said if I don't learn to do this I'll probably get myself killed. I can't fight demons if I'm always having to hold my energy back. If I can use a weapon..." she trailed off for a moment, trying to decide the best way to put the issue. It wasn't like it would bother him to hear it, but it hurt her to say it. "It might be my one chance."

Jin was frowning again. "So yer askin' about Rinku 'cause..."

"Because I really want to know how he uses the yoyos Urameshi told me about." Mana started walking again, studying the ground. She didn't like having to admit her shortcomings... "I have to learn to do this, but honestly I don't even know where to start. I've tried running a bit of energy through the bo staffs I use in karate, but I have no way of knowing if I'm doing it right."

She felt a hand on her head and stopped; Jin was staring down at her strangely again. "Ya really got no one else to help ya do this, do ya?"

The blonde shook her head slowly, wondering why he did that so often. When he rested his hand on her head it made her feel like she was a child again. Then again, there was never any sure way to tell how old a demon was; to him she was probably nothing more than just that- a child. She tried not to think about it. Jin was easier to talk to if she tried to imagine him being at least close to her own age. "I'm on my own."

Finally he showed signs of some sort of response, a contemplative look crossing his face. "Ya use staffs in yer classes, ya said?"

Mana nodded. "I've been training with them for three years. If there's anything I think I'd be able to use, it's that."

"And yer wot, on yer third level green belt? Would have started when ya hit green, then?" Jin tilted his head. "Is that a normal level for that?"

"That's the level to begin weapons work, yeah. When you reach first degree green." Mana shifted her feet slightly. "Only I'm not a third degree anything any more. I'm a brown belt now, first degree. I promoted in December."

Jin nodded, studying her with another one of the looks she couldn't read. She bore it in silence, letting him think. "I'm bettin' I can talk to Rinku for ya, then, get some learnin' for ya. It's not right that ya would hafta work this out on yer own."

"Thank you..." Mana couldn't help but feel just a little reassured. She could do this if she had that, at least... she could learn that weapon technique and hold on to her goals...

Her feet flew out from under her while she was thinking and walking at the same time. Jin caught her before she hit the ground. "Easy, there! Is that all this visit is gonna be, then, me keepin' ya from fallin' over?"

"No!" Mana straightened herself up quickly. "Thank you, but I think I'll be fine now!"

The redhead chuckled. "If ya say so, Mana. If ya say so."

* * *

The twins had been surprised to see him. Jin chuckled to himself as he and Mana headed back to her apartment that evening. It was good to see that the girl was getting out more, at the very least. Mana herself was smiling quietly; she'd finally made second place in the little café contest. The wind master smiled. "There, now, yer lookin' downright cheerful."

"Eh?" The girl blinked up at him blankly. "I am?"

"Yep!" Jin grinned down at her. "Ya been tryin' a long time to get that far, haven't ya?"

The girl nodded modestly. "Tonight's competition was pretty light, though. I had a better chance than usual."

"The college group was there, though." Sachiko had actually stood chatting with one of the girls from the next table for several minutes before sitting down. It had taken Jin a moment to recognize her without the streaks of color in her hair, but it seemed the boisterous twin had gotten to be pretty friendly with the older group. She had also, he learned later, brought earplugs.

The blonde wrinkled her nose slightly. "Like I said, it was light competition. Only one of them can sing." She shifted the purse on her shoulder. "Do your friends have any sort of eating preferences? I want to stop and pick something up for dinner before we get home."

"Well, Touy won't be picky, knowin' him. Suzuka... if he complains, just ignore him. He'll eat wot ya give him sooner or later."

"That's very nice to know." Odd, the girl sounded almost intimidated. Jin reached down, patting her on the head.

"Don't you go worryin', now, I doubt he'll stay around for long. Ya just need to be a little patient. Who knows, ya might both come out the better for it." Mana looked lightly annoyed. Jin decided it was time to change the subject. "Hey, wot was that song you were singin', anyway?"

"At the contest? It's called Evolution."

"That's the normal song ya sing, right? It's a good one." There, she was almost smiling again. "Ya know, I think yer pretty good at these contests. Yer a lot bolder when ya get up on stage."

"It's called acting. It's not that hard to imagine you're someone else when there's a microphone in your hands."

He gave her a light poke under the ribs. "Well, ya outta try bein' that way when there isn't. Ya never know, it might make ya feel pretty good."

"Whatever." But at the same time, he thought she might have been smiling as she turned away...

Later that night, trying to fall asleep, Jin wondered if he didn't maybe have a solution to Mana's weapon problems. He got up early the next morning, taking his own life into his hands by prodding Suzuka while he was still asleep. "Hey. Hey, wake up there. Come on."

There was a soft grunting noise, but the demon's eyes didn't open. Jin prodded again, and was rewarded with an elbow to the side of the head. "Go away!"

The wind master rubbed his ear. "I told ya to wake up, and yer gonna do it. I think I know how ya can get Mana to teach ya her technique."

One eye opened warily. "This had better be good, Jin."

Jin ignored the obvious hiss in his voice. "It is. Ya got any kinds of staff weapons the girl could have? The lass needs somethin' she could work her energy with, and I was thinkin' if ya could bring her somethin' she could use, ya might be able to work a deal."

"I could probably find something." Suzuka sat up slowly, combing his hair back with his fingers. "Staffs are so ungainly, though. Is that the only weapon she can work with? I admit there's a certain grace to them when they're used right, but..." he paused to yawn. Jin had to fight back laughter. "But they're so inconvenient to carry around."

"But I bet ya could make one that wasn't inconvenient at all, couldn't ya?" Jin settled into a sitting position on the ground before deciding it was more comfortable two feet up. "I've seen ya pull stuff almost outta nowhere. Can't ya make it collapse up somehow?"

"I suppose that's possible." Suzuka looked over at the sliding door irritably as Touya opened it and stepped inside. "How can you stand it out there this early in the morning? It's freezing."

Touya gave him a flat stare. "Actually, it's three degrees below. I happen to think the weather is very nice now."

"Oh. Right." There was a moment of silence before Suzuka scowled. "Jin, must you do that inside? It's cold enough without a breeze!"

"I happen to like sittin' this way." The redhead slid a few inches back in midair. "So do ya think ya might have something to work with?"

"I just might..."

The sound of a door opening cut the conversation turned. Jin turned towards the hall... and immediately wished he hadn't. Mana made her way to the kitchen, her eyes half open and her feet bare... as was her lower half in general. The girl had fallen asleep in her button-up blouse and her panties. There was an awkward silence as she got her tea and headed back into her room, oblivious to their presence. Finally, Touya spoke. "Does she do that often?"

Jin could feel his face turning red. "Every mornin' she does that, although she only ever seems to come out half-dressed like that on Sundays. Won't do any good to mention it later, either, cause the poor lass won't even know what yer talkin' about."

Suzuka was leaning over the back of the couch to stare down the hall. "Well, she's a bit young for my taste, but judging from what she's got so far I think in another five years or so-"

Jin's fist interrupted him then. Touya didn't try to stop him. Fortunately, Mana didn't ask why Suzuka had a black eye when she finally came back out, fully dressed and wide awake, to put her teacup in the sink. The girl was humming as she came back in and sat down. "So!" Neither of Jin's friends seemed to be any better able to look her in the eye than he was, although in Suzuka's case it was probably because of the swelling. "I've got some groceries I need to pick up today. Are there any preferences as to what you guys like to eat?"

Jin spoke up before the 'beautiful' fighter could. "Wotever you want to get will be fine, Mana, I already told ya that. Can I come along if I carry the bags?"

"I think that should work. What about you guys?" She looked over at the other two apparitions curiously. Touya was the first to nod.

"I think I might enjoy the walk. It seems like a pleasant enough day out."

"We'll have to go early. There's supposed to be a snowstorm rolling in tonight." Jin looked over at his icy friend quickly. Touya's eyebrows raised just slightly, a sure- if very, very subtle- sign that he liked the idea. Mana stood. "We'll go after breakfast, okay?"

"That sounds fine." Jin studied her as she headed back to the kitchen to cook; a good night's sleep seemed to have worked wonders on her mood. He heard Touya groan softly as she began to hum and couldn't hold back a grin; it had been bad enough for Touy when he'd had that song stuck in his head once he'd gotten home, and now the poor guy would be hearing it from the source. It would be stuck in his head for _weeks_. Jin knew that from experience.

Mana came over and sat down at the table in the living room with them for breakfast, leaving the dining room table forgotten as always, and he couldn't resist having just one or two pokes at the girl. He studied her outfit; a deep, rich brownish-burgundy skirt and a creamy sweater. "Do ya always wear darker tones in the winter?"

"I wear warm tones," she answered around bites. "Winter is a mellow season."

"Spoken like a lass who's never thrown a snowball before!" He prodded her with one chopstick. "Ya can't go tellin' me ya've never had a bit of fun in the winter before, can ya?"

"I never said I've never had fun. I just prefer to wear different colors in the winter." The girl was starting to look just a teensy bit flustered. He poked her again, laughing silently at the squeaking noise she made, and she practically batted the chopstick out of his hand. "Stop that!"

Jin stared at her and then, on a whim, leaned over to sniff at her hair. It was decidedly not strawberry scented. "Ya change yer shampoo during the winter, too?"

"I change my shampoo every season," the girl muttered irritably. "I've done that my whole life. It's something my mother used to do, too."

"Em." Jin took another sniff. She smelled like... peaches? "Do ya hafta always smell like food, though? Makes a guy hungry, that does."

"I use cherry blossoms in the spring, now back off before I go get the spoon." Mana stabbed at the eggs on her plate with her chopsticks. Jin sat back, letting here eat in peace for a few moments, before his curiosity got the best of him. She had been strawberries in fall, now peaches in winter, and then cherry blossoms in spring...

"So wot's summer?"

He was already on the roof by the time she'd gotten the spoon from the kitchen, and he didn't come back down until it was time to go. She got him then. He decided he didn't mind; smirking was _almost_ smiling, after all...


	13. Snowed In

Whew, Saturday again! For a while there I thought this wasn't going to go up in time! Ask Dr. Peppergurl about it; she was up keeping me company at three in the morning last night and cheering me on because I wanted to get just a little more done before I turned in for the night. Thank you so much, Nora!

Chapter notes, chapter notes... well, first off all, THIS CHAPTER REQUIRED A LOT OF RESEARCH! I spent several days examining maps, looking up different regions, reading up on weather patters... and this was after I confirmed that Yu Yu Hakusho had no real set location aside from a few fictional ones... and then I had to study storms and the like, find out where the heaviest snowfall was, check ninety thousand maps AGAIN to confirm MORE regions... all to ensure that what happens in this chapter is even POSSIBLE in Japan. I left nothing to chance. I hope the results are worth it.

As a note, this is the first fanfiction I've ever spent time doing research on beyond memorizing every detail I can of the series itself. And I'm still doing that, too. Whee...

A big shout out today, not to an individual but to those people I will refer to only as the 'crew.' My friends are one of my biggest sources of inspiration; from Asians who can't sing to jokers who can't keep their hands to themselves, from girls with technicolor hair to sushi buffs who eat more raw fish than Smeagol on a good day, my friends give me hours of laughs... and inspiration. I love you guys so much, even if I do abuse you all just a little bit every time I sit down at a keyboard. Stay awesome, gang!

And also a thanks to my darling mother, who sits with me through entire nights of horror films- American AND Japanese- and has fully made me appreciate how badly our special effects sucked... especially in the seventies and eighties...

And again, a HUGE thank you to my readers! It seems like every chapter there are more of you, and that, more than anything, is what keeps me going at three in the morning. Thank you all so much!

So let's go!

* * *

Touya thought he was starting to understand how Jin's relationship with this human seemed to work. Mana provided Jin with food and a warm bed, giving him someplace fairly nice to stay in the human world, and in return he annoyed the living daylights out of the girl...

"Jin, would you please stop poking me?"

... and, it seemed, pulled her out of the shell she seemed to hide in. Jin had mentioned the girl being just a little bit reclusive, but the pristine apartment seemed to show signs of something a bit more extreme than that. Yes, he'd put his bets on full-scale antisocialism with a touch of obsessive neat freak...

"Mana... Mana, the light changed..."

"What? Oh... Oh! Come on, then!"

The ice master raised an eyebrow as he followed after the blonde girl and his exuberant friend. Truth be told, he had been grateful for Jin's invitation; things at home had been just a little bit too loud, and the Ningenkai in the winter could, so he had heard, be very nice. Staring up into the sun, Touya wondered if maybe he hadn't lost that longing for the light after all. He was free, yes, but he still spent too much time in a darkened world...

"Touy!" The pale apparition blinked and returned his gaze to the world more immediately around him. Jin and Mana had both stopped to stare back at him. The redhead was shaking his head. "I swear, if it's not the one of ya it's the other! Yer both walkin' round with yer heads in the clouds today. I thought that was supposed to be me own job!"

Touya rolled his eyes lightly and kept walking. He could feel more than one human staring at their small group, but being stared at had never bothered Jin much and the girl didn't even seem to notice. Touya shrugged the brief looks off, wishing slightly that he had a hat of his own; some of the attention was undoubtedly his fault. Ahead of him, Jin was pestering his new friend for details about where they were going and why. The ice master allowed himself to relax and drop back a bit. The wind master was taking care of himself well enough.

It began snowing lightly as they were headed home. The apparition couldn't help but pause in his tracks to look upwards at the falling flakes. Jin often said that the human world had a tamer wind than the Makai, more cheerful and playful than what they were used to. As several flakes danced through the air, Touya wondered if the same wasn't true for the snow. It seemed almost friendly as it filtered down from the clouds, sticking softly to the ground. He glanced upwards, eyeing the clouds thoughtfully. Yes, the snow was peaceful and calm now, but it wasn't going to stay that way. He could practically feel the cold pressure building in the atmosphere... "Hey, Touy!"

He sighed. "Yes, Jin?"

"Yer gonna get left behind if ya don't hurry it up." Touya sighed and turned his attention back to his 'companions' in the cold; they had both stopped to look back at him again. He caught up to them quickly, slightly amused at the way their noses had turned slightly red in the cold. He had never had that particular problem. Jin stared down at him, carrying the bulk of the baggage from the store. "Not like ya to keep spacin' out."

"I was studying the clouds," Touya replied glibly. The less chances Jin had to accuse him of being inattentive the better. "We should hurry back to the apartment. It's not going to remain pleasant for much longer."

"The weather reports all say that the storm should hit full force some time right after sunset." Mana shifted slightly, almost nervously, but still looked him in the eye. "We've had a pretty harsh winter this year. They say this system is blowing straight down from Hokkaido."

Touya nodded politely. Hokkaido must have been a more northerly providence; it would make sense given where they were. He made more of a point to keep up as they walked the rest of the distance to the apartment, heading upstairs via the elevator in the back. He wondered offhand why they weren't using the front entrance, but didn't ask. In a way it made a sort of uncomfortable sense; what could the poor girl possibly say to explain him and Jin, anyway?

Suzuka was waiting when they got back, a curious look on his face. "Did you know that your stove flares rather violently when you turn it on?"

Their hostess's face went pale. "You didn't try to fix it, did you?"

"No." She seemed to relax visibly. "I was only trying to see how it works."

"It works fine once you're used to it. Just leave the cooking to me, okay? I'll take care of it." The girl headed into the kitchen and began putting the groceries away. "I hope you guys don't mind all staying in the living room tonight. I'm bringing the spare heater out here so it'll be warm in the morning and I can close off the back room."

Jin answered for them, as he always seemed to. "That'll be fine, Mana. Are ya gonna make dinner tonight?"

"I thought I would." Touya raised an eyebrow, amused at how easily the blonde responded without looking up from her work. "Dinner will be a while, so you should probably get the spare quilts out of the closet. It's going to be rough tonight."

It amused Touya how easily the girl made the prediction. Even he, inexperienced as he was with Ningenkai weather, had no idea just how right she was going to be...

* * *

Jin couldn't sleep. It wasn't that the room wasn't warm enough; Mana had set two small heaters going in the living room, and the blankets were more than cozy enough. It was the storm picking up strength outside that had him driven to distractions. Even with heavy curtains drawn over the glass cold still seeped in at the sliding doors. And then the wind... he could hear it, he could sense it, but it was too cold to actually go outside and _feel_ it. He hated it when things worked out that way. It made it harder than ever to stay indoors.

There was a click from the hallway, the soft sound of a door opening. Jin sat up, curious, and heard Mana cross the hallway into the bathroom. The redhead waited a moment before standing, peeking into the hallway just as Mana headed back into the hallway with a rubber bottle in her hands. "Hey, there."

The girl jumped, blinking at him for several wide-eyed seconds before nodding. "Hi..."

"Ya can't sleep either?" He stepped towards the hall, keeping his voice low; it would be better for the girl if Suzuka remained asleep. Mana was shaking her head, hugging the bottle against her; she'd probably been heating it in the bathroom. "Too cold in there for ya?"

The blonde shook her head again, her voice barely above a whisper when she spoke again. "It's noisy outside tonight. I always have a hard time sleeping during storms."

Jin nodded. "Same for me, actually. Can't keep me eyes shut when I know there's somethin' goin' on in the great big outdoors." The girl nodded, glancing towards her glass door as a fierce gust whistled around the building. Of course; Mana's room was located on the corner of the complex, so she'd be getting even more noise than the rest of them were. Jin raised an eyebrow. "Ya want to maybe stay out here with us?"

"Um..." The healer looked wary. "There's not really room for four people, I don't think. The couch only goes so far..."

"The couch only goes so far as Suzuka. Me and Touy can sleep anywhere, though, so that doesn't bother us any." Mana still looked uncertain. Jin sighed lightly. "Mana, yer not gonna get any sleep in there listenin' to that. It'd be better for ya to come out here with us."

"Let me get my blankets..." The girl slipped back into her room by the light of her bedside lamp. Jin waited, helping her carry her quilt when she came back out. "Where is there room?"

"Well, Suzuka stole the couch with one of the heaters right there, and then Touya passed out by the bookshelves, which is fine 'cause he doesn't mind the cold so much, so I was mostly huddlin' against the back of the couch near the other heater. Plenty of room there, there is. I can shove over a bit if ya want." The girl nodded slightly, motioning with one finger against her lips. Jin dropped his voice back down. "See, it's just a bit quieter out here. Might help ya rest better than bein' all alone in that empty room."

They worked silently to arrange her blankets into something comfortable for sitting on and bundling up in. Mana scowled lightly up at him as he tucked them up around her neck, but he was used to that by now. To his surprise, the girl fell asleep rather quickly once she was situated- and actually ended up resting her head against his leg slightly- which left him awake and alone all over again. The redhead sighed. Such was life...

He wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep- he was certain he must have sat there for an hour just staring down at the side of Mana's little golden head- when Touya shook him awake. He blinked, yawning openly and receiving a rather flat look from the ice apparition. "Wot?"

"Could you advise your friend against trying to go out right now? I don't think it's very safe out there for a human."

Jin sat up, blinking. What was he... oh, right. Yesterday was Sunday, today was Monday, and that meant Mana had school. "Where is the lass?"

"She's in her room, getting ready to go." Touya sat back on his heels. "Jin, I honestly don't think it's safe for a human to go outside right now. The storm got worse over night. But she is insisting on leaving the building..."

"Right, I'll give her an earful for that one..." Jin stood and headed for the hallway, wrinkling his nose slightly as he went. The 'beautiful fighter' was snoring again. He would have done something about it, preferably rolling the other demon clean off the couch, if he hadn't been accused of doing the exact same thing on a small handful of occasions himself. It was never a good idea to invite retribution that way, Jin knew that from experience. Mana's door was shut, but he could hear her shuffling around inside her room. "Hey, Mana?"

"One moment!" Something slammed slightly- it sounded like a book closing- and then the door opened. "Yeah?"

He stared; she was already in her uniform and everything. "Mana, yer not really thinkin' of goin' to school today, are ya?"

The girl huffed lightly. "As I told Touya, yes, I am." She opened her door and slid past him, heading into the bathroom with her hairbrush in hand. "My attendance record is bad enough as it is without skipping out over a bit of bad weather."

"But how are ya gonna get to school?" Jin frowned. "Ya usually walk, don't ya? Ya can't go walkin' in that, ya'd freeze to death!"

"So I'll take the bus." The girl was fully focused on the mirror in front of her. "I walk for the exercise, not because I have no other options. There's an exam on Friday that I really want to get some books from the library to study for." The girl set to work arranging her braids. "So I need to go to school."

And then the power went out.

The startled yelp from the bathroom almost made his ears ache as the apartment went dark. The bathroom in particular went pitch black, the only light in the whole place coming from the balcony doors... and the curtains they'd put up to keep the cold out were effectively blocking that out before it even stood a chance. Sighing, Jin reached into the darkened room. It took him a moment, but he managed to tug the girl out by the arm. "Yer stayin' home."

"Okay..." Her voice was small as she finally gave in. He could barely see even the vaguest outline of her body in the thick gloom. "I have a flashlight in my room... um... and there are candles..."

There was a rustling in the main room as Touya pulled the curtains open. A soft, grayish-toned light filtered into the apartment. "Will that be enough help you find them?"

"Um... the candles yeah, I think..." Mana frowned, peering into her room. "I'll need the flashlight to find the matches though. Give me a moment."

Jin listened as Mana headed into the darkened room. It took a few seconds before he heard a sound, and when he did it was a thud and a soft swear. He raised one eyebrow, amused. He never would have guessed such a nice little girl knew words like _that_. "Ya doin' okay in there?"

"I'm fine! I was just finding the table..." Well, that would explain both the thud and the swearing. Jin heard a drawer sliding open and stepped back from the door as a beam of light cut into the hallway. "Okay! I got it!"

"You may want to hurry. The longer the curtains are open, the more heat we'll loose." That was Touya all right, Jin decided. Always calm and collected no matter what the situation was. Mana brushed passed him, heading for the kitchen, and he pulled the bedroom door shut after her. It would probably help preserve the warmth in the building if they closed off any unnecessary rooms. Jin glanced at the bathroom for a moment before pulling that door shut as well. Anyone who needed to use the bathroom probably wouldn't much care for him for it, but that wouldn't be his problem until it was his turn anyway.

Mana was fumbling with a matchbox as he headed into the living room, noting with some chagrin that Suzuka was still fast asleep. After a few moments there was a sputter and a flare of light from the kitchen. He peered over the wall as the blonde used the first candle to light several others, noting with amusement that half of her hair was down and the other half was half-braided. "Hey, Jin, do me a favor?"

Well, there was no need to not help out. "Wot do ya need?"

Mana started setting the candles onto a cookie sheet. "There's also a lantern on top of the refrigerator. Could you get that down for me?"

"No problem there." It took him a moment to find it, shoved behind a wok, and by the time he had it down Mana had carried the candles into the main part of the living room. Touya was already closing the curtains back up by the time he got around to the table. "We got everything now?"

"Yeah, this should be good." The healer was chewing her lip lightly as she took the lantern from his hands, pressing a button at the base to turn it on before turning it right back off again. "We'll save the batteries."

Jin frowned. "Don't it make more sense to save the candles?"

The healer girl frowned lightly. "Honestly? The lamp gives off a lot more light. I'd rather have that for when it gets dark out and things get really bad in here."

Silence fell over the room as the three of them stood there. Mana and Touya were both staring down at the candles pensively. Jin tilted his head, eyeing the pathetic little half-braid. "Ya gonna finish that?"

"Finish what?" Mana blinked, confused. Jin reached over, tugging at her hair.

"This." The girl scowled and batted his hand away before unraveling the plaits. "Atta girl. Looked funny half done, that one did."

And the room fell silent again. Jin watched as Mana headed over to the door, only to return to the lighted area with her school bag. She met his and Touya's stares as she sat down and opened the bag. "What?"

"Ya don't know how to take a day off, do ya?" Jin flopped down next to her, thought better of it, and stood up again to grab the quilts. The girl gave a light shrug.

"What's the point in falling behind? I'm going to give it an hour or so to see if the power comes back on, and then I'll try and make breakfast. I might as well try to study in the meantime."

The wind master nodded lightly as he dragged their makeshift bedding around to the front of the couch. Suzuka hadn't even shifted the way he was laying after the power had gone out. Somehow, Jin wasn't entirely surprised. He settled down next to Mana and made himself comfortable, trying his best to wait patiently for her to get tired of the books. After ten minutes he couldn't stand the silence. "Hey, Mana, how are ya even seein' wot's on the pages?"

"I'm making sure I'm getting light on them." The girl turned a page, her face awfully close to the paper. The wind master frowned.

"I don't think that's very good for ya there. Could ruin your eyes that way, so I say." Jin gave her a light prod in the side. "If ya really want to study, ya need a better light than that."

"I'll be fine. Look, he's reading." Jin blinked and looked up; Touya had grabbed a book and settled down across the small table from them. The redhead scowled.

"I told ya before, I can't even begin to figure on how his eyes even work. It's up to him if he ruins them!"

"How very considerate of you," Touya quipped dryly without even looking up from his page. Jin frowned. Were they both going to leave him bored now? That didn't seem very nice. Sighing, the redhead sat back against the couch. Sooner or later one of them had to decide that this wasn't the right light for reading.

He wasn't sure how long they'd sat in the near darkness, but eventually Mana got up and stretched. "Is anyone hungry?"

"Food would be nice." Jin stood, following her. "How are ya gonna cook anything, though? Can ya still use yer stove?"

"It is gas powered." Mana picked up the box of matches and her lamp and headed into the kitchen. "I can light it with these."

Jin gave the girl a doubtful stare. "Yer just askin' to set yer hair on fire, aren't ya?"

"I'm not going to set my hair on fire." The girl frowned, turning on the lamp and peering into the refrigerator. "I can make eggs, at least, and some fish. The rice cooker is useless, though." Jin just nodded. Personally, he was glad for that one...

It was only once the food was cooking that Suzuka woke up. He stared around the apartment, blinking wearily. "What's going on? It's dark in here."

Jin smiled wryly as Touya replied, simply, "The power went out." Touya wasn't one of those folk who went around stating the obvious all the time, but sometimes he was blunt enough to make someone wonder. And even then he managed to look and sound smarter than Suzuka, who was staring at him blankly.

"The power is out?"

"That's what I said." The ice master didn't look up from his book. Jin frowned, wondering if Touya had any idea how annoying that little habit of his was.

"Oh..." Suzuka yawned and stretched his arms up above his head. "What's that smell?"

"Breakfast," Mana called from her position by the stove. "It's simple today, just eggs and fish, but it should be ready soon."

The fighter nodded blearily. "How long are the lights going to be out?"

"We don't know." Mana flipped over a piece of fish in one of the pans; the smell made Jin realize just how hungry he was. "It depends on when the city gets around to fixing it. We could be out for just a few hours, or we could be out all day."

"Great. So we're stuck without light. What about the heaters?"

"Those are out, too, Suzuka." Touya turned a page. "Everything that runs on electricity is off. And you're not allowed to try to fix it."

Mana looked over at him curiously when she heard that. Jin shook his head, hoping she'd get the idea not to ask. It was better if he explained Suzuka's tendencies to tamper with things when he wasn't actually in earshot. Mana frowned lightly and went back to her cooking without a word, much to his relief. It was definitely better that way.

Breakfast was quiet that morning. No one seemed to have much to say; even Jin himself couldn't think of a good way to start a conversation. It seemed like the darkness had done something to quiet all of them down; Suzuka wasn't talking as much as he usually did, either. Once breakfast was finished Mana disappeared into her room with the lamp, only to return several minutes later in warmer clothes... and pick up her schoolbooks again. He scowled. Now all three of them were reading. "There's got to be somethin' better for ya to do than that."

"I told you, I have a quiz coming up. I can't just go taking the day off just because I'm staying home from school."

"But ya study enough already." Jin prodded her in the side. "And I told ya, that can't be good fer ya to read like that. It's gonna make yer head hurt."

Lavender eyes looked up at him warily, so dark in the dim light that they almost seemed deep violet. "Can you think of anything better to do?"

"Em..." The girl had a point. Trapped inside with the lights out, there really weren't a whole lot of options. He sighed. "Well, since ya seem to think talkin' is out I guess there's not a lot there."

"Then why don't you get a book to read yourself?" He could hear Touya snort lightly; apparently he thought this was funny. Jin scowled and settled against the couch.

"I'll just manage on me own, then." Resting his arms behind his head, he waited. Sooner or later, one of them had to get bored. Sooner or later...

Jin had no idea when he'd dozed off, but he by the time he woke up the lights had come back on. Blinking several times, he looked around the room. Touya had moved over by the doors... probably to feel some of the chill, and Suzuka was sprawled on the couch. Frowning, he looked around. Where was Mana?

There was a soft chuckling from Touya's little corner of the room. "Look down, Jin." He did as he was told, and gaped. Mana had been sitting up reading the last thing he recalled, but now she was leaning against him fast asleep with the book still in her hands. He heard the ice master laugh again softly. "She passed out not long after you did."

"Ah, great." Now Suzuka was chuckling, too. Jin blinked. "Wot?"

"It looks like you've got yourself a new pet there." The inventor was grinning. "You know, most apparitions would pay nicely for a cute little pet human, especially one who cooks the way she does. If you could only train her to dress a little better, I'm sure you could-"

Jin narrowed his eyes. "Suzuka, if ya got half a brain in that head of yers, ya won't go finishin' that sentence." The fighter cut short abruptly and actually sat back slightly. "It ain't right thinkin' of humans that way, especially not a one who let ya stay in her home."

The master of a thousand sighed. "You know, for someone who's always trying to joke around you can't really take one yourself, can you?" He flopped back into the cushions. "Still, she could use a little advice on fashion. So far I haven't seen her do a thing with that hair. It's a waste!"

"Yer a loon..." Jin trailed off as the girl stirred lightly. After a moment it became clear that she wasn't waking up, only making herself more comfortable. He sighed. "Well, wot am I supposed to do now?"

"I suppose you have two options. Either you try to move her, or you sit there and deal with it." Touya had one of those quietly amused looks on his face again. "She does look young when she's asleep, doesn't she?"

"Ya should see yerself sometime," Jin muttered, resigning himself to the fact that he was going to have to stay where he was if he wanted to stay on Mana's good side. He motioned towards the television. "Could one of ya turn that thing on for me? I'll be dyin' of boredom here before too long otherwise."

* * *

Mana woke up to the sounds of a woman screaming and debating voices. "I don't know. I've never seen anyone's jaw ripped off like that before, but I'm pretty sure that if I did it wouldn't look like that."

"Yer just sayin' that 'cause ya didn't come up with it yerself. I say it looks pretty right like wot ya'd expect of it. Not so sure the tongue'd be lollin' around like that without bein' a bit more bloodied at the bottom, but other than that I think it's pretty well done."

"Still, it's obvious that the girl is the walking dead by now. You'd think her mother would take the hint and run."

A third voice cut in. "If they did that, it might reduce the body count. I think that's what these movies aim for."

Mana opened her eyes wearily, staring at the television. "You guys are watching Ju-on?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Touya shrugged lightly. "They've done nothing but argue about it since we started it, though."

Suzuka huffed lightly. Mana blinked; she still wasn't sure what she thought of him. "It isn't my fault they've done such a poor job with the make-up. Anyone with a bit of real skill would know that-"

"Ya say everyone lacks skill just cause they ain't you." Mana jumped slightly at just how close Jin's voice was, only to smack the top of her head on something solid. "Hey! Easy there, ya almost made me bite me tongue!"

The girl jerked backwards. "Ah..." Oh, great, now all three of them were looking at her. "Ah... was... was I asleep?"

"Ya sure were. Out like a light through over half the movie." Jin reached over and ruffled her bangs. "Didn't mean to wake ya, but this git over here can't keep quiet."

Suzuka huffed again. "Well, excuse me. I'm sorry, but this is just too unrealistic for my tastes."

"There's nothing wrong with it, Suzuka, but if you'd like you can pick what we watch next." Mana was already quickly seeing how Touya was the voice of reason for the three. She shifted lightly, trying to get her own little seating area, and blinked. When had the power come back on? Sighing, she settled back to watch the rest of the movie. She'd seen Ju-on before a time or two, most notably the last time she'd slept over at the twins, and while the film had sent the twin's younger brother and sister scurrying out of the room Mana hadn't found it to be all that bad. Then again, as Sachi had reminded her, anything undead or ghostly that came after her had something of a deathwish to begin with.

They spent the rest of the afternoon bundled up on and around the couch, watching whatever horror movies came on. The power managed to hold out the rest of the day, but Mana brought her own small heater out of her room and into the main area as night fell just in case. It seemed like a good idea to get the main room as warm as they could before they went to sleep.

Which meant, the girl thought with a sigh, that she would probably be camping out in her living room with them again.

On the plus side, the girl thought as she fixed a dinner large enough for six at least, she would have been going insane if she'd been caught in her apartment all alone. Too often over the past few months she'd turned her music up louder than normal just to drown out the silence. If she had been caught in the pitch-white storm on her own she wasn't sure what she would have been doing right now... although she had a hunch it would have been far less entertaining than listening to Suzuka picking apart another film. She hadn't been sure what had possessed her to suggest watching an American monster flick, but the results had been entertaining the moment there was a spray of orange blood. Her mouth twitched lightly. Maybe now he wouldn't be so critical of the quality of Japanese horror films...

"Wot do ya got there?" Mana jumped, almost dropping the frying pan she'd been stirring, and scowled. Jin stepped back. "Em... sorry?"

"Out." Mana gripped the pan tighter. "You can wait for it to be ready."

The redhead actually pouted at her. "That's mean, Mana. I wasn't gonna get into anything this time."

"You do it without even trying. Move, please. I need to set this pan on the rack."

"Oh." Jin shifted to the side, letting her slip by. "Does that mean it's done?"

"No, that means that this is done. I still have to finish the rest of it."

"Oh..." Mana turned back to the stove. By the time she turned around again, he was chewing on something. "Hey, this is pretty good. Ya know-"

She could hear Suzuka laughing as she chased him out of the kitchen.


	14. Snowball Fight!

Of all the chapters I've written for this story so far, I think this one has to be my favorite. I really do. It's going to be hard, at least in my own eyes, to top this one. Although I do have a few plans on how it could be done.

That said, hello! It's Saturday again, and I'm running it down to the wire to get this chapter up! Thank you again to Nora for staying up with me on a Friday night when you should have been sleeping; I keep getting bit by this insane "stay up very, very late to work the night before deadline" bug and it's great to know that someone is there.

Random note: Cats are natural performance artists. They can do a really great tightrope act. Right across the curtain rods, I tell you... right across the curtain rods...

Honestly, I don't have much to say except thanks, as always, to my readers and to those of you who take the time to review. It's not that I wouldn't love to dish about this chapter, it's just that I think the chapter speaks for itself. So let's go!

* * *

Jin was starting to go more than just a little crazy. Spending three days stuck inside and only a fourth to look forward to tended to do that to a guy, he thought. Spending two days stuck inside with Suzuka certainly wasn't helping. Even Touya's considerable patience seemed to be wearing a little thin. Mana had gotten quiet and sort of withdrawn, especially when it came time to do her schoolwork; she had begun to border on downright irritable if they tried to talk to her while her books were out. He thought it may have had something to do with the phone call she'd received late Monday night. The three fighters had been forced to sit, perfectly silent, while Mana had a little conversation with her father, the majority of which consisted of the phrases "I'm fine," "really, I'm fine," and "no, you don't need to call the neighbors to keep an eye on me. I'm fine." By the time she'd hung up, she'd seemed quite perturbed. Now, Wednesday night, he wasn't sure her mood had improved any.

"Hey, Mana?"

The girl had been shifting slightly, but when he said her name the sounds stopped. After a moment he heard her reply softly. "Yeah?"

He listened carefully to the wind outside. "Sounds like things are getting' quieter out there. We may be seein' a break come tomorrow."

"That would be very nice." He could just see her peering up at him in the darkness. "Honestly, I've never cared for storms."

"Ya haven't?" Well, that might explain the irritability. "How come?"

"I've just never liked them." The girl tugged her blankets up to her chin. "My mother used to have to sit with me during thunderstorms. Snowstorms weren't quite as bad, but I still don't like them."

Jin tilted his head. "Well, that's ahright. Lots of people are afraid of storms, I imagine..."

"I'm not afraid." Mana's voice was a low hiss. "I just don't like storms. Lots of people don't."

"Ah. Em..." The wind master reached over to pat the girl on the head once. "Well, I guess that's okay, too. Me, I've never liked them much either. Have a hard time stayin' indoors, I do."

"I've noticed." She couldn't have sounded any more flat if she tried. Jin frowned slightly as the girl rolled onto her side. "Are you sure things are getting more quiet? I honestly can't tell."

"I can tell by the wind. I thought ya could hear it talkin', couldn't ya?" He reached down and gave her shoulder a poke. The little blonde shifted further under the blankets.

"I can't do that when I'm inside. I have to actually be out in the open air to hear anything."

"That's a sign ya need practice, then." Jin tugged the blanket down away from her head. "Give it a listen, wot do ya think ya hear right now?"

The healer frowned lightly. "Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Jin settled more comfortably against the back of the couch. "Come on, Mana, give it a try. See wot it says to ya!"

"It says you're an idiot." He stared her down. Finally, she sighed and sat up. "Fine. I'll try seeing if I can hear anything from here."

Jin waited patiently for several minutes while Mana sat with her eyes closed. He was starting to wonder if she had fallen asleep when she finally opened them again. "It's no use. I can't understand it if I'm not standing in it."

"Just practice and ya could learn it, so I says. I bet-" A loud snore from the other side of the couch cut him off. The redhead turned and peered over the back of the seat, eyes wide. "Well, how's that for rude? We're tryin' to have a bit of a chat here, ya know."

Mana made a soft sound that was _almost_ like a chuckle... but not quite. "I don't think he did that on purpose, Jin."

The wind master shrugged, eyeing the back of the couch speculatively as another, slightly smaller snore disturbed the relative peace of the living room. "I ought to tip him off the couch, I should. Yer the one who should have dibs for sleepin' there anyway."

"I don't mind." The girl snuggled back down into her blankets. On a whim, Jin reached over and brushed her bangs back from her face. Mana stared up at him. "What was that for?"

"No reason, really. Ya ought to be gettin' some rest now." The girl stared at him doubtfully for several long minutes before sighing. He frowned. "Wot?"

"Your impossible sometimes..." The girl turned away slightly, curling up to sleep. Jin couldn't help a small smile as she peered back over her shoulder at him. "Good night."

"G'night, Mana. Sleep well." There was no answer from the girl. Jin settled against the couch, listening to the soft hum of heater and the whistling of the gales outside.

He woke the next morning to blinding white light streaming into the room as Mana threw the curtains back. The girl's mouth was steady, but her eyes seemed to be smiling. "Finally! I was going to go crazy without light!"

Jin rubbed his stinging eyes. "Storm's over, eh? Just like I told ya, it was quietin' down. Ya ought to listen to me more often!" Mana nodded half-heartedly, staring out the door. Jin blinked and looked out the glass; the snow was piled at least two feet deep on her little balcony. "Whoa, now, there's a problem. Wot ya gonna do about that?"

"I have no idea. I've never seen it that high before." Mana frowned. "I suppose I should just push it over the side once I can get the door open. I think I'd rather get something warmer on first, though..."

Jin stood up, trying his best to stare outside. He'd had no idea that the sun reflected off of snow that brightly. "That makes a body's eyes sting something fierce, it does. Is it supposed to be that bright?"

"You get used to it." Mana turned, eyeing the couch speculatively before heading into the kitchen. Jin used the time she took to make breakfast to stare out the window, studying the world outside. The entire balcony was coated in white, the roof across the alley was covered, and from what he could see of the alleyway there was more of the same below. The morning sun was shining off of the blankets of snow in a blinding reflective array, so he looked to the sky instead... and that was where his attention stuck. He had never seen quite that shade of blue before, perfectly clear and looking like it went up forever. There were still more than a few gray clouds on the horizon, but everything above the apartment building was positively ethereal...

The next thing he knew, Mana was actually giving _him_ a poke in the side. "Hello, Earth to Jin..."

He blinked, staring down at her for several seconds before he thought to speak. "Em... wot?"

The girl sighed. "Breakfast, Jin. Breakfast is ready."

"Oh." He followed her back over to the table. Mana sat down, legs curled beneath her, eating politely as she usually did... he'd noticed that she hadn't bolted her food down even once in front of Touya and Suzuka. Frowning, he looked around as he picked up his plate. "Where'd Touy go?"

"He said he wanted to see if he could get up to the roof." Mana chewed on a mouthful of egg before continuing. "With any luck, we'll all be able to go outside later today."

"Outside is good, yeah. I could do for goin' outside." Jin tucked into his breakfast, letting the girl eat in peace and pausing only to jab Suzuka in the leg when the fighter rolled over and nearly kicked him in the head. If there was any chance he could help Touya and get them out of the apartment that much faster, he wanted to try!

As it happened, Touya got downstairs before he finished. "The doorway is clear. We can get upstairs now. I also managed to get across to the front of the building. They're starting to clear the roadways."

It was all he could do not to jump up and cheer while he was holding his breakfast. Even Mana seemed distinctly more cheerful at the news. "Thank you, Touya. That should make things a lot more pleasant for everyone."

"I'll say it will!" Jin swallowed the last of his meal. Mana stared at him as he set the plate down. "Wot?"

"Nothing." The girl stared down at her plate silently for a moment. "With the weather clear, I should probably try to go to school today."

"Yer kiddin', right?" The girl fixed him with a flat stare. "Ya haven't even looked outside yet. How do ya know ya'd be able to get there?"

"Well, I have to try. I can't very well sit out the whole week, you know." She set her plate down half finished. "Someone probably took care to keep the main doors downstairs clear, so if it's okay to go up on the roof it should be okay to go down to the sidewalks, too."

"Right..." Jin looked over at his old friend; the ice apparition was shaking his head silently. The wind master sighed. He knew what that look meant. "Good luck with that, then."

The girl wasn't even gone half an hour upon leaving before she was back in the apartment, a definitive scowl on her face as she dropped her bag and pulled her boots off by the door. "I give up. It's not possible to get through that without snowshoes, not as far as I have to go. They can clear the roads first."

"Looks like yer takin' that week off after all." Jin ignored a soft grumble from Suzuka; it was always best to leave him be when he first woke up. "So wot do ya think we'll be doin' today?"

"I have no idea about you, but I'm going to study some more. Why do you always ask me, anyway?" Mana looked around before he could answer. "Where did Touya go, back on the roof?"

"Yeah, he said somethin' about the view bein' good." Jin got to his feet, grabbing the coat he'd been borrowing and pulling it on. "I was gonna head up myself. Ya ought to come with me. It'd do ya some good to get the air."

"I just did, thank you." Mana started to unravel her scarf. Jin frowned to himself. That wouldn't do at all. Mana was pale enough as it was without hiding indoors all the time. It took him four steps to get across the room next to her; the girl blinked. "What are you doing?"

"Wot does it look like?" Reaching out, he took hold of her by the waist. "Ups-a-daisy!"

"No!" Too late, the girl started to squirm. "Damn it, you're not going to do this again! Put me down!"

"But if I do that, ya won't come outside." Jin ignored the stare Suzuka was giving him as he settled the girl over his shoulder. Mana gave him a few solid thumps on the back and even tried giving his hair a yank in the process. Scowling, he jostled her lightly. "Hold still up there. It's not real polite of ya, flailin' around like that."

"And it's polite to just... manhandle a girl like this?" The angry half-growl came from somewhere around his mid-back. "If you don't put me down right now, I swear I'll shoot you."

"And I'll drop ya on yer head if ya do!" He jostled her again before bending down to grab her boots. "We're all gonna go outside today, and yer gonna enjoy yerself like a good little lass, and that's final."

If he'd thought she was growling before, he knew she was now. "Jin, I'm serious. Put me down."

Rolling his eyes, the redhead turned towards the other male in the room instead, ignoring the girl's threatening tone. "Eh, Suzuka, could ya get the door for me? Me hands are full."

The master of a thousand shook his head. "I think I'm going to have to stay out of this one. I'll be upstairs if you need me."

Pushing past them, the blond fighter slipped out the front door on his own. Jin barely managed to catch it with his foot before it closed. Easing out, he managed to make it into the hallway and had almost started down the hallway when he hit a new snag; namely Mana's hands clutching the door jam. "Hey, now, let go of that."

"Jin, I am serious." The girl's voice was low. "Put me down."

"Nothin' doin' of it, now let go of the door." He tried pulling gently, but she held on. The wind master frowned. "Yer only makin' this harder on yerself, ya know. Let go of the door."

"Put. Me. Down." She wasn't just holding on to the wood now, she was pulling on it. Jin sighed to himself. He didn't want to think about what she would do to him if they managed to break that door frame.

"Fine. I'll put ya down, but only if ya promise to come onto the roof with the rest of us." There was a sound like a sigh from behind him. "I mean it, Mana. I want ya to promise. Ya been stuck inside, same as all the rest of us. Ya can't be not needin' to stretch a bit."

After a moment the girl stopped pulling at the doorway. "Fine. But I don't want to go out in this. At least let me change first?"

"I can do that." Jin backed his way back into the apartment; it seemed easier than trying to turn around. "I'm waitin' in here 'til ya get done, though. I'll even watch the clock on ya, so no thinkin' ya can hide in yer room!"

Mana was glaring as he set her down. "I can always lock the door, you know."

Jin couldn't help a small laugh. "Mana, do ya honestly think that little wooden door is a threat to me?"

The girl narrowed her eyes, obviously not appreciating the sentiment. "You break my door and I break you, got it?"

"I got it, I got it..." Jin flopped onto the couch as the girl headed down the hall. Somehow he'd get her to socialize a bit more, he decided. She put way too much focus into schoolwork and solitude. He'd known it was bad, but he didn't realize it was bad enough for her to pass up the first chance they had to get out of this apartment. That just wasn't _right_.

He was just getting up to knock on her door when the healer came out on her own. Jin had to smile to himself at the way the girl had bundled up; layered skirts, heavy coat, gloved hands and a thick scarf. "Okay. Let's go."

"Ya know, all that is gonna get soaked out there." The girl ignored him, heading for her front door. Jin shrugged to himself and followed along. "Fine, then, don't ya listen to a word I'm sayin'. But that's not gonna make it any less true, so I say. Those little gloves are gonna wet right through."

"I'll be fine." Mana pulled her boots on and stepped out into the hall. The wind master tagged along at her heels, his hands in his pockets. He waited until they were in the elevator to try speaking again.

"I bet ya don't even know how to throw a snowball, do ya?"

The girl scowled. "Yes, I know how to throw a snowball. Everyone knows how to throw a snowball. That's a stupid question."

"Good. Then I expect ya to prove it."

"I'm not going to throw snowballs." The little blonde shifted her feet slightly as the elevator moved upwards. "Don't even get your hopes up."

"If ya say so." Jin blinked at the sudden brightness as the doors slid open. The air was crisp and cold, and the sunlight reflected almost blindingly off the snow. He could see Touya standing towards the front of the building- standing on the snow, as he always seemed to do so easily- but Suzuka was nowhere to be found. The wind master frowned, glancing around, and finally spotted him peering off the side over the balcony. "Ello, there!"

Touya waved silently back at them rather than shouting across the full length of the roof, but Suzuka seemed to be puzzling over something again and didn't reply. Jin shrugged it off and stepped into the snow- it came up to about the middle of his shins. Mana wasn't so fortunate; the girl was buried almost to her knees the moment she stepped off the elevator. "Eh, jeez, it's worse up here than it was downstairs. I hope the roof can handle all this."

"It should be fine." Touya was making his way on top of the snow; Jin had never been able to work out exactly how he did that without sinking into it. "It's not packed down that deeply, so it looks like there's more than there is. It doesn't way as much as you'd think."

"That's good." Mana stomped down the snow around her a bit, examining the level once it was packed. Jin found he was having to resist the urge to fling a snowball at the back of Suzuka's head; there certainly seemed to be enough of the stuff to form a nice arsenal. Looking around, he could see the buildings around them glistening with their own white caps and decided that he _liked_ snow in the human world. It looked good under the sunlight!

Mana was making her way across the roof to look down at her balcony. Jin studied her a moment before turning his attention back to the snow itself and scooping up a handful to test the consistency. It would be rude, he told himself, to actually throw it at his hostess, even if it did seem to be the right weight for a projectile. So he threw it at Suzuka instead.

He heard Touya groan as he let a good sized junk of snow fly. It hit the back of the 'beautiful' fighter's head with a delightful soft splattering noise, some of it even sticking to the hair that, for just an instant, seemed to spike up even more than normal. He could feel himself grinning as Suzuka whirled about. After all, the aqua-eyed fighter had no way of knowing that he'd scooped up another handful before he'd stood up. He let the second fistful fly just as Suzuka opened his mouth to start yelling, whooping a bit himself as the second target hit it's mark with an even more delightful effect than the first; there was something about the sound of a large clump of snow hitting someone in the face that just appealed to him right then. "There we go! That's a point, it is!"

That was about when Suzuka charged at him.

* * *

If they managed to make the roof cave in, Mana decided then and there, she was going to find a way to kill them both.

The healer sighed to herself. She should have expected this... in fact, she realized, on some level she was fairly sure she had. She wasn't nearly as surprised as she should have been when the two started grappling, trying to fling each other down into the mounds of frozen white. They were both completely insane, she decided. Totally, completely insane.

"It might be a good idea to step back." She blinked as Touya strode over beside her. Hadn't they been roughly the same height? Glancing down, she saw where the difference came from immediately; he didn't sink into the snow the way she did. "Once those two get started, it's better to clear the area. You might-"

The small apparition didn't even get to finish his sentence before a mass of snow struck him in the side of the head. He turned, casting a cold glare at his more rambunctious fellows that sent a chill down Mana's spine. "Do you really think you want to play that game with me, Jin? You already know how it would end."

"If it gets ya over here and doin' somethin', I will!" Jin threw a second ball that his friend easily ducked under only moments before Suzuka appeared on the roof of the elevator room with a ball of snow larger than his own head. The yelp Jin let out as it crashed down onto him was almost comical. "Hey, come on, now! That's cheatin'!"

"You're only saying that because you didn't think of it first." His smug expression only lasted as long as it took Jin to scoop up two large fistfuls of snow, pack them into one large mass, and let it fly. The healer raised an eyebrow. _That_ was a combination of swears she'd never heard before...

Mana turned her attention back to Touya and saw that he was looking at her with a small smile. "Well?"

She blinked. "Well, what?" The ice demon was smiling a crooked little half smile as he tilted his head towards his fellows. Mana cringed as Suzuka jumped down and the snowball fight turned back into a grappling match in the snow. "You're joking, right?"

Touya shook his head. "He's letting you off easy right now. It won't last, I can assure you of that. Once he has a few people involved he can't help but try for the rest. It's in his-"

They were cut off by a howl. Jin leapt out of the small pit they'd been making, a wicked scowl on his face. "Wot the hell was that?!"

Suzuka stood up calmly, brushing his hands together to get the clinging crystals of ice off of them. "That was a technique I learned years ago for quickly ending one of these petty fights. I call it the direct approach."

Jin's fists clenched at his sides. "Direct approach, hell! Stuffin' snow down a man's pants is no way to get out of a decent, fair fight!"

"It gets the job done."

Mana could feel herself cringing as Suzuka headed for the elevator. The girl turned away as Jin bent down into the snow, certain she didn't want to see what was going to happen next. Sure enough, Suzuka's yell was even louder than Jin's had been. She shook her head, turning to ask Touya if this was normal or not, when she realized he wasn't standing next to her any more. Frowning, the healer turned back to where the fighting was going on just in time to see the snow literally slide off the roof of the elevator hutch, momentarily burying both of the thrashing figures. Touya seemed pleased with himself as he looked down at them, pulling themselves out of the new drift and swearing enough to remind her of a few American movies she'd seen. "I trust that settles the matter, then?"

"Oh, so that's how ya be wantin' to play it, is it?" Jin was already scooping up the makings of another projectile. Mana had to question the intelligence of anyone who would go throwing snowballs at an ice demon, especially one that could actually jump down off the small shack without leaving footprints where he landed. The girl scooted back, far enough that her back pressed against the railing around the roof... and then, without even thinking about it, she bent down and started packing the snow at her feet with her hands. When Jin let his snowball fly, so did she... right at the back of his head. He turned slowly, staring at here with a stunned expression. "Wot was that? Wot did you just do?"

"Do you need me to spell it out?" Mana's hands were already fast at work. Her height gave her one advantage; she didn't have to bend nearly as far as he did to get to the snow. She had a second ball worked up precious seconds before he did, getting it into the air with just enough time to dodge the shot he threw her way. Jin shouted as the dense ball hit him square in the chest. Mana just shrugged. "I guess that's a point for me, then."

The sides became divided all too quickly; Jin and Suzuka both seemed to forget that they had attempted to freeze each other's general seating areas once Mana and Touya proved to be enough of a threat. The clean white surface on the roof proved to be the perfect playing field; the unpacked snow was easy to scoop up and throw... or, she discovered with some dismay as soon as Jin got his hands on her, to throw someone into. The girl shrieked, flailing her arms and legs as she tried to get back to the surface and out of the blindingly cold cocoon of white. It took her a moment, but she managed to figure out which way was up after bashing her elbow on the ground a time or two and right herself.

By the time she could see clearly Touya had driven the redhead back enough for her to get to her feet; the snowballs that Suzuka frantically pelted him with from behind seemed to be doing nothing. Scooping up an entire armful of snow, Mana ran over and did her best to hurl the attack at the back of his head, but it broke in the air and she wound up splattering his back instead. Suzuka turned towards her just as Touya ducked under a frantic counter-shot from Jin that ended up hitting his partner square in the side of the head. Something inside of Mana seemed to bubble over; she let out one short laugh and threw herself back into the fray, as much snow as she could reach and one loose glove flying into the battle. It was soon trampled into the snow, a victim of the fighting who would very likely remain unrecovered until spring thaw.

And that was how the twins found them as they stepped on to the roof ten minutes later, four soaking wet fighters laughing like maniacs as they tried to drown each other in the snow, the evidence of the skirmish reigning in the form of a crater on the perfect white rooftop. Hachiko, the unshakable twin, had a startled expression on her face; Sachiko, easily the more dramatic, looked downright stunned. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Um..." Mana glanced around at the three apparitions, quickly appraising how bad they looked. Suzuka was panting, his sweatshirt soaked through and his hair falling flat into his eyes. Jin's face was nearly as red as the top of his head, his coat soaked through almost as badly as hers was. Touya's hair wasn't the picture of neatness she was already used to; instead it was tousled about and looked rather damp. She could feel the flush over her own cheeks as she panted for breath and see, on her own shoulders, that her own hair was wet, stringy, and very nearly starting to curl. She couldn't help it; she grinned in spite of herself. "Snowball fight?"

"Snowball fight," Sachi repeated. "We rush over here the moment the weather clears, worried sick over the fact that you've been trapped in your home with a bunch of... with... with them," she waved her arm to specify Mana's rooftop companions, "and we get here to find shouting we can hear all the way down to the ground that damn near gives us both heart attacks and you're having a _snowball fight_?"

Mana tried to still her expression and get a straight face back on, but it didn't work. She couldn't stop smiling. "I think that sums it up."

Sachiko fell silent, Hachi picking up the scold for her. "And I suppose you have something brilliant to say for yourself, don't you."

Mana had to fight back a giggle at the twin's very dry form of sarcasm. "Well, now that you mention it..." She glanced over at Jin. "We call Sachi."


	15. A Good Day

Hello, everyone! It's Saturday again, and here I am with another update! This chapter isn't exactly the most important one, but for me it's probably the most nostalgic; some of my best memories with my friends happened either at sushi or at a little Japanese market called Sakura's that I dearly loved. Among the most humorous of those memories are those revolving around the ramune sodas I mention in this chapter. The first time I ever opened one, it exploded violently on me and the friend who had given it to me laughed. I then laughed at every other person I'd ever seen drink one for the first time, including my fiance and my sister, because the results are usually the same. It's almost like a tradition, laughing at someone as they fight with their first ramune, trying to get it open. As such, I had way too much fun writing it in here.

Random note: Ramune has enough sugar in it already. You do not, by any means, need to drop in sugar candies to watch it fizz. It's still fun, though. Just... be ready for the high...

Someone commented in a review that "They're always eating!" Sitting down, I tried to figure out why I'd done that, and the explanation I finally came up with was this: nostalgia. My friends and I all got to know each other pretty well over cards and video games, but it wasn't until we sat down for meals together that we got to know each other _really_ well. Sushi was always the best time to learn and laugh, so I decided to try to get it all out of my system in one go. Hopefully less of the chapters after this will make you guys hungry. But this one... you may need some snacks for. Sorry, guys.

Every chapter of this story amazes me, because re-reading it I always see little pieces of the people I know floating to the surface. It's not just places or things, it's the actions of the people themselves. I know a guy who will eat entire chunks of wasabi straight; it scares me to watch him do it because I keep expecting his head to explode. As such, Sachi has a fondness for it. I know a couple who gets along fabulously, except the girl is always lamenting that her boyfriend pokes her too much. Jin's poking went from a small thing to something I laugh to myself about often. My sister can't use kitchen appliances without them attacking her. We all know where that one went. As I write, and I think this is true for all of us, I can't help but immortalize the little things that make my friends special, and in doing that I can't help but let my readers into my world just a little bit. That's why, once again, I want to thank everyone for the reviews I get, for the hits this story recieves every week, and for all the little notices that one more person is enjoying it. It makes it worthwhile to do all this research and stay up late and work... which reminds me, Nora apparently turned in early last night. Lori, thank you so much for cheering me on in her absense! You guys are the best!

And now, without further ado, the chapter... completed and up on time in spite of the friend who keeps sending me Guild Wars screencaps with people saying and doing really, really awkward things. Don't you love it when gamers read things wrong? Thank you, Azzy!

So let's go!

* * *

Six pairs of shoes were sitting by the front door, all of them dripping as their snow coatings melted in the warm air. Six coats were in the dryer, as well as an array of scarves, mittens, socks, sweaters, and other outerwear that had been soaked cleanly through. Six cups of tea were sitting on the table, the warm steam comforting to all. And five pairs of eyes were glaring silently as five people shivered in bundles of blankets and one person sat looking fairly comfortable. Touya shifted slightly under the close scrutiny. "Is something wrong?"

"I know you're supposed to be an ice demon and all," Sachi said with a shiver, "but that's just not fair."

Mana couldn't help but nod her agreement. Her fingers were still half-numb as she reached to pick up the cup in front of her, wincing slightly at the way the warm mug burned her fingertips. That was the big risk of trying to get warm too fast when someone was that cold; it could make things that weren't even hot feel like they burned. She blew at the surface of the liquid carefully before taking a cautious sip. Now that was nice...

"How did I let you guys talk me into that?" Hachi cradled her cup in her hands, practically bathing her face in the steam. "I can't believe I just did that."

"Aw, c'mon, it was fun and ya... ya..." Jin actually broke off mid-sentence to sneeze violently. Mana cringed, resisting the urge to sniffle herself as he finished lamely, "ya know it."

"It was positively juvenile," Suzuka lamented. "For the life of me, I don't see how I even got involved in that."

"Says the ruddy fool who started with the snow in the pants!" Jin scowled and picked up his cup. "I still can't more than half-feel me backside..."

Sachiko scowled. "I didn't need to know that."

Suzuka snorted. "It's better than what I can't feel. I'm no longer sure I even-"

"Finish that thought, I dare you." Sachi's statement was followed by several nods- about four in total, Mana counted. The black-haired girl picked her cup up, wincing slightly as she continued. "I guarantee that between the five of us we can throw you outside on your head."

The room fell silent again and remained that way until Touya broke the silence. "This is very good tea."

"Thank you," Mana replied and then, umable to resist, "Are you sure it's not too hot for you."

The ice apparition raised an eyebrow. "Thank you for your concern, but I assure you I could cool it myself if it was."

"Ahright, this is gettin' on me last nerve! All this back and forth, back and forth, it's enough to make ya crazy!" Jin sat up straight. "There has to be somethin' we can all do without bickerin' at each other."

Hachi shifted. "I have a deck of cards in my bag."

"Well, bring 'em out, then!" Jin was nodding enthusiastically, and Mana cringed as several drops of cold moisture flew off of his hair. Hachi frowned, picking up her handbag and digging through it for a moment before pulling the deck out and looking up at the redhead.

"But what can we all play?"

Jin looked stumped. "Well... wot do we all know how to play?"

Poker was ruled out as soon as Jin started going on about Suzuka cheating. Sevens was turned down because none of the demons actually knew how to play. They were debating on Go Fish when Hachi pulled the cards out of the box and started to play solitaire. She looked up once she realized the room had gone silent. "What?"

Sachi pointed at where her twin was laying the two of spades onto the three of diamonds. "We can't very well play cards if you're using them for that."

"Well we can't play cards if we can't agree on what to play, either, so I might as well enjoy myself while you argue." Hachi shuffled a few cards around. "You guys just let me know when you make a decision. I can play anything my sister can."

They settled on Go Fish. That lasted about ten minutes, which was the time it took for Sachiko to realize that Suzuka had a clear shot of her hand every time he leaned back against the arm of the couch. The game was considered a loss when he refused to give up his spot.

"Maybe cards isn't the best idea right now," Touya suggested as Sachi started making threats involving her teacup and the blonde apparition's pants. Mana shifted away before the liquids could start flying. Suddenly she wasn't as fond of where she was sitting...

And then Jin poked her in the side. "Mana? Are we gonna have lunch soon?"

"I'll fix something." Of course he would wonder about food. Mana stood carefully, working her way through the tangle of legs around the table. "Unless you guys want to order take-out. But I'm not picking it up."

"We could always send him." Sachiko jerked her elbow at Suzuka. Mana rolled her eyes as Hachi elbowed her twin. "Ow..."

"We could always send the both of ya and the rest of us could actually have some time for thinkin'," Jin suggested. Mana wished she were back on the couch; it would have made it easier to smack him on the arm. Touya did it for her. The redhead frowned, rubbing his elbow. "Well, it was a thought. Ya can't blame a guy for tryin'."

Mana realized she really didn't want to cook. "If you're that eager for thinking, you can come with me while I go get something. I don't have anything easy to make for a group this big."

She'd expected him to argue, but Jin actually nodded and got up from the couch. It took a few minutes to change into something a bit warmer and a bit drier, and by the time she was done he was standing behind the couch watching a second attempt at a game of Go Fish. No one, she noted, was sitting anywhere near Suzuka. "I'm ready to go."

They walked in silence for about five minutes before either of them spoke. It was Jin who broke the silence, as he usually did. "Ya feelin' ahright, Mana?"

"I'm fine." Mana picked her way around a high drift of snow- there was usually a small folding sign there for one of the local shops. That was the nice thing about the location of her apartment, she reflected- it was as close to the shopping district as it could be without being a part of it. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wonderin'." The apparition's hands were shoved deep into his pockets. "Ya seem worn out."

The girl pushed her hair back from her eyes, cursing it silently. It always tried to curl in damp weather. She hated that. "Do you have any idea how many years it's been since I was in a snowball fight?"

"Knowin' you, probably a few." A patch of ice made her foot skid slightly; he caught her by the elbow. "Yer not really good at bein' just a girl, are ya?"

She felt herself stiffen. "What does that mean?"

He kept hold of her elbow as they walked. "Yer fourteen, right? But ya act like yer an adult already. I don't see wot it's about."

She shivered lightly, pulling her coat tighter around her. "I live alone. I have to do my own shopping and cooking. I have to make sure I get to school and karate on time. I even have to take care of being sure the utilities are paid on time. Most people would call that being an adult."

"But yer not an adult. Yer a fourteen-year-old girl." Mana pulled her arm away from him and he fell silent, but of course it didn't last. "Ya seemed to be enjoyin' yerself today."

Mana sighed quietly. "Is there a point to this?"

"It was nice to see ya loosen up." Jin reached over and ruffled her hair. "So, wot are we gettin' for lunch?"

The blonde frowned. "I have no idea."

Jin gave her a hopeful look. "Sushi?"

"For six people? You have no idea how expensive that would be." She frowned lightly; his expression had gone from hopeful to rather downcast quickly. "Unless we make it ourselves."

He perked right back up. "Ya can do that?"

"Mmhmm." Mana changed course. "I know a nice market where you can get the fish at a good price. They'll even slice it for you if you ask them to. I can get some of that and fix up the rice myself."

The redhead nodded for a moment before tilting his head to one side. "Wot about the little rolls, can ya make those, too?"

Mana winced. "I have a mat for it, but I'm not very good at keeping them neat because I usually just go out for those..." Oh, great, he was giving her that look again. "Hachi is great at it, though," she said quickly, "I bet she'd help if we asked her to."

Jin nodded eagerly, and Mana resigned herself to having to do some shopping. She was pretty sure she didn't have any of the sushi nori, the seaweed sheets, they would need for the rolls. "Hey, Mana?"

She braced herself. "Yes?"

"Yer a good girl. It probably ain't easy handlin' the likes of us." He reached as though to pat her head again, but lowered his hand quickly when she gave him a harsh look. "I woulda warned ya that I wasn't comin' back alone, but I didn't expect Suzuka to show up. And I didn't expect us to be stuck in that-a-ways. I was almost surprised when ya didn't boot us out first thing this mornin'."

The healer sighed. "And let you run wild against the rest of the world?" She shook her head. "That didn't seem too bright, either." A sudden gust made her chill right through her coat. "I think we'll get some udon noodles while we're out..."

Jin's hand caught her while she was distracted. She scowled lightly as he patted her on the head. "Now, see, that's not so bad. Ya don't always hafta give me dirty looks, ya know. It's not nice of ya."

"You know it's embarrassing when you do that, right?"

"Only 'cause ya let it be!" He ruffled her hair more vigorously. Mana swatted his hands away, trying to smooth it back down. The demon responded by flipping the ends upwards, tossing the locks lightly. "Wot are ya frettin' for? It doesn't have to be perfect."

"Maybe not by your standards," the girl muttered as she checked her reflection in a shop mirror. She could see Jin's reflection as he tilted his head to one side.

"Wot's that supposed to mean? Are ya sayin' there's somethin' wrong with me hair?"

Mana stood there for a moment, studying his image on the glass and trying to think of the proper response. Finally she settled on the honest truth. "Jin, you look like a drowned cat."

The redhead stared at her for several long seconds before she saw his hands move. She yelped as he swept her up in to the air by her waist. "Ahright, then, if ya think there's such a problem, why don't ya do somethin' about it?" The girl's eyes wend wide as he held her up. "Come on, fix it up for me if it's so bad."

He... Ah, no, people were staring now. "Put me down, you big oaf!"

"Are ya sure?" Jin's eyes were shining mischievously. Mana nodded, resisting the urge to take a few smacks at his head; it could throw him off balance and make them both fall. "If yer positive, then!" He set her down with a grin. "But ya just gave up the right to say anythin' about how me hair looks!"

Mana made sure her feet were firmly on the ground before she turned and hit him. "Don't do that to me!"

"But yer fun to pick up! Yer nice and light and easy to hold." Mana struck him again, below the shoulder. "Yer a bit violent, though. A fellow could carry ya around all day if it wasn't for that." Mana turned on her heel... and regretted it immediately as her feet flew under her. Before she even had time to yell, Jin had caught a hold of her. Her cheeks darkening, she turned her face up towards his. He appeared to be trying not to laugh. "And then there's that. Yer only this much a klutz in winter, I'm hopin'."

"Only when I'm not allowed to focus on walking..." Mana started walking again, staring resolutely at the ground. "For example, I don't handle ice well when people are trying to harass me."

"Oh, come on, I wasn't harassin'!" Jin fell into step beside her. "This is wot I was talkin' about earlier. Ya have a hard time lightenin' up. Mana scowled to herself, stopping in front of the door of a small market. Thank goodness it was open...

"Behave," was all she said as she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

* * *

Well, that wasn't going to do any good.

Jin frowned, following the little blonde healer inside. He'd somehow managed to work Mana into a right foul mood that time. He watched quietly as the girl reached for a hand basket, snatching it before she could put it over her arm. She gave him a look, but she didn't argue. To his relief, she stopped scowling as she headed into the main area of the store. In fact, after a moment she even spoke. "Have you ever tried ramune before?"

Jin blinked. "Tried what now?"

"It's a kind of soda." Mana picked up a glass bottle with a pinched neck. "Have you ever tried this before?"

"No, can't say that I have." The girl seemed satisfied as she picked up a six pack and dropped it into the basket. The wind master raised an eyebrow; those little bottles weighed more than he would have expected... which was probably why she grabbed a second pack. That would have been what the experts called spite, he decided. "Do we need that many?"

"Two for each of us. Hachi only drinks the strawberry ones." Mana headed down one of the aisles, examining the contents of the low shelves. Some of the items she put into the basket were pretty easy to identify, long noodles and the dark green wrappings for sushi rolls, but a couple of small bottles and a box with a picture of a tube on it made him more than a little curious. He kept his mouth shut, though, until her disposition seemed to have lightened a bit.

"So wot all else have we got here?"

"That's miso for soup and that's wasabi. Sachiko likes to go heavy on the wasabi." Mana picked up a jar of soy sauce and put it in the basket. "I'm assuming you know what that is."

"That one's familiar, it is." He tilted his head as she stopped next to a refrigerated unit. "Wot ya lookin' at there?"

"Stuff." Mana reached in and pulled out a packet of pink and white disks. Jin stared; she caught the look. "These go in udon. They're called kamaboko and they're made of fish. You'll like them, I promise." Mana grabbed a few more things out of the refrigerators, different packets and things, and then headed over to the counter. "Hello, Tsukasa."

The boy behind the counter couldn't have been more than Mana's own age. "Koyama! Hello! It's been a while since we've seen you."

"I've been very busy lately." Mana's tone was soft and polite. Jin stepped back slightly, amused. He'd seen her do this at stores before, becoming so sweet he could hardly believe she was the same girl who threw punches so freely. 'Do you have any fresh fish in?"

"Yeah, we got very lucky. This morning was the first shipment we got in for a few days." The kid glanced over at Jin once as he headed over behind a counter, but his attention turned back to Mana quickly. Obviously return customers came first...

The wind master waited quietly while Mana looked over the selection, instead turning his attention to the shelving right behind him and the multitudes of colorfully-packaged sweets. That was one of the things he liked about humans; they had some really, really good varieties of junk food. Several packages caught his eye; he picked one or two of them up to have a look. He didn't even realize that Mana had made her selections until she tapped him on the arm. "Jin, I need the basket."

"Right, right." He held up the bags. "Wot are these?"

Mana stared for a moment before sighing and pointing at each bag in turn. "Gummy candies. Rock sugar stars. Lychee hard candies. And more gummies." She looked up at him. "And I take it you want to try some, don't you?"

"Mebe just one or two kinds?" Mana stared at him for several long minutes before taking the bag of star-shaped sugar and hard candy and reaching over to the shelves for a bag of little gummy cubes. He put the others back. "Thank you, Mana!"

"I swear, you're like a little kid sometimes." But she was almost smiling as she took the basket, so he wasn't sure he minded the rebuttal. Once they were outside of the store, she even paused to open one of the bags of sweets as she handed him some of the bags. "Here, try this."

Jin stared at the soft little cube she was holding out. It was pale pink and kind of see-through. Peeling off the wrapper, he paused at the sight of a second wrapping underneath it. Try as he might, that one didn't seem to want to peel off. He finally looked back at Mana. "Wot do I do with this?"

Her mouth was twitching. "That's rice paper. You just eat it and it'll dissolve right away."

"Oh..." Feeling a little silly, he popped the cube into his mouth. It was actually pretty good. Mana had popped something into her own mouth by the time he turned back to her. "Ya go there a lot, huh?"

The girl nodded, swallowing before she spoke. "It's a nice little shop. I've always liked the people that work there. It's been family owned for three generations now." Jin nodded, reaching for the bag of sweets. Mana actually batted his hand back. "You focus on what you're carrying, please."

"Ah, come on! That ain't right!" The girl just walked ahead of him, smirking lightly. Grumbling, Jin followed along after her. "Come on, Mana, let me try another!"

"If I do that, before you know it there won't be any left for anyone else." The girl actually tossed her hair back. Jin stared for a moment before he remembered to start walking. That little sass, she was trying to get back at him!

"Yer a brat," he informed her once he'd caught up with her again. Mana's lips twitched.

"Do you realize how many different things you call me in the course of a day, Jin?"

"And they're every one of them true! Yer still a brat!"

Mana glanced back over her shoulder at him, a saucy look on her face. "That's what you get for picking on my poor hair. Drowned cat!"

Jin sighed and shook his head, grinning in spite of himself. Well, if that was her vengeance then he could just live with it. There were worse things she could have done, after all. She was even polite while she asked him to wait outside of a small restaurant as she ran in for something... an agreement he regretted making by the time she came back outside some fifteen or twenty minutes later. "Did ya have to take so long in there?"

"I needed to wait for them to make something." The girl had a new bag with a couple of foam containers in it. "Trust me, it'll be worth it."

By the time they got home, Touya had his nose in a book and Sachiko and Suzuka were engaged in a heated conversation about the proper mechanics of poker. Hachi looked up curiously as they came in. "What took you guys so long?"

"Stocking up." Mana took her bags over to the kitchen counter and flipped on the rice cooker. "Do you mind helping me? You're better at rolling sushi than I am."

Hachi's expression brightened. "Sure!" Mana pulled on her red apron as the girl headed around the divide. "Ooh, you got the works."

"Yep." Reaching into one of the bags, Mana pulled out one of the pop bottles and tossed it towards Jin. He caught it, noting the return of her tiny smirk. "Here, you can try that while you wait."

"Right..." Jin looked down at the small bottle for a moment, wondering why the neck was pinched the way it was. The top was wrapped in plastic; he peeled it away, glancing curiously at the pale green cap under it... the one that slid right off the bottle. The wind master stared down into the mouth of the vessel. "Is that a marble?"

The blonde nodded. "Try punching it down."

He tapped it a few times, and then pressed it hard with one finger. It didn't budge. Frowning, he checked the bottle for instructions, found none, and tried pressing the marble down again. Nothing. He tapped the side of it against the counter a few times, hoping to loosen it, and then tried again. _Still_ nothing. "Ruddy thing won't get in there..."

All three humans were staring at him. Sachi was covering her mouth with one hand. Hachi was covering her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide and alarmed. And Mana... Mana was just standing there with that little look on her face. Jin met her eyes. "Yer enjoyin' this, aren't ya?"

She replied in the same sweet tone she'd used with the store clerk. "Do you need some help?"

"I can figure it out on me own!" He went back to trying to stab the marble into the bottle as Touya picked up the green cap. After a moment, the ice master tapped him on the arm. Jin frowned. "Wot?"

Touya held the cap out. "Try using this."

Inspecting it, Jin realized that the cap had two parts; a ring on the outside, and a cylinder with a round, flat lid on the top. He blinked, taking the piece, and realized that the ring popped off. "Oh."

By the time he'd figured out that just pushing the little cylinder down on the marble wouldn't get it in the bottle, Sachi was snickering at him and Hachi was trying to muffle soft giggles. "Ahright, I give up! Wot's the trick?"

Mana's eyes were laughing at him. "You have to hit it."

He stared. "Hit it?"

The healer nodded. "Set the cap on the marble and strike it. That's the trick."

"Right..." Scowling, he set the cap where she told him to and gave it one good whack. The marble dropped right into the soda... which exploded on him the moment he moved his hand. "Ack! Mana!"

The twins were openly laughing at him. Even the blonde was chuckling softly. "Congratulations. You just opened your first ramune."

"Brat!" Jin stared at the fizzing bottle; at least a quarter of the liquid was gone. "Ya knew it would do that!"

"Well, it was your own fault for not reading the directions." Mana was arranging things to start preparing their meal... it was probably late enough that it would be dinner, now. "They were right there on the plastic, but no, you're the one who tore it off without even looking."

"That was still a mean trick to play!" Jin grumbled to himself before sampling the soda. "Hey, this is good."

Mana raised an eyebrow. "Why do you always sound surprised when you say that?"

"I do not." Jin drank some more of the soda, pausing as the marble very nearly got stuck back in the mouth of the bottle. "Hey..."

"Just tap it with your finger." Hachi had recovered from the giggles first. "Don't worry, you get used to it." She was handing a bottle to Touya. Jin watched, chagrined, as he neatly popped it open, holding his hand in place until the fizzing had stopped. "Don't worry. You can have part of Mana's to make up for what you lost."

"Hey! You guys stood just as quiet as I did!" Mana scowled as Sachi grabbed a bottle, popped the marble in, and took a drink. "I got you stars, by the way."

"Seriously?" The girl's black eyes lit up. "Where?" Mana pulled out the bag of sugar stars. Grinning, Sachi drained a bit more of the bottle and dropped a couple in, clapping her hand over the top hard as the drink fizzed up. "Sweet!"

Hachi was rolling her eyes. "Sis, you're-" But whatever she was about to call her sister was drowned out by Suzuka yelping as his own soda fizzed over on him. Jin couldn't help it; he laughed with the rest of them. Maybe he could forgive the girls a bit of lost drink after all, for a good laugh like this.

By the time lunch was ready, Jin suspected that all three girls, even Mana, were a bit hyped up on all the sugars. He knew he was. He couldn't stop his ears from twitching, even after Sachiko had given one of them a good pull. It wasn't just the candies, though, it was the company. Watching Sachi and Suzuka fight about which cards were wild and which ones weren't was fun, watching Touya try to stay out of the conversation was even more fun. Mana actually sang while she worked in the kitchen, and the song that Hachi hummed along with was cheerful and sweet just like a song sung by a girl her age should be. Jin felt rather giddy by the time they all say around the small table to eat, passing around bowls of noodle soup and arguing over who had more tempura shrimps or fish cakes in theirs. Sachi dropped a few more sugar stars into her second bottle of ramune, grinning when her sister called her names, and Suzuka all but choked on a clump of wasabi cleverly hidden under a piece of tuna; neither Mana nor Hachiko would take credit for that one. It wasn't until later that evening, settling down to sleep, that he realized he'd completely forgotten to count how many times the healer had smiled.

Then again, he decided, that was okay. He had a new goal now, to try and keep her laughing. Glancing down at the figure next to him... they'd pushed the couch up against the door and now all three girls were curled up on the living room floor once it became apparent that Mana's room was still too cold to sleep in... Jin couldn't help reaching down to give the blonde head a little pat. He'd teach her to be friendly yet.

"You are one weird demon."

Jin blinked, trying to work out which twin had spoken. It hardly helped to actually look at them, it wasn't like he could tell them apart in the dark anyway, but he _thought_ it was Hachiko. The girl was watching him with one open eye. "I didn't realize any of ya were still awake over there."

The girl sat up carefully, and by the appraising eyes he knew he was right. "You're very friendly to her. Is it because she healed you?"

Jin thought about it a moment before he answered. "I guess that's a part of it, yeah. Not all of it, though. Ya ever seen how lonely she is?"

The girl nodded solemnly. "She hides it well, but she's just too eager to let us come over when we ask. We tried for three years to convince her to move in with us after her mother died, Mom especially, but it didn't work. She's too independent. She feels like she has to do everything herself."

"I am awake, you know." Jin jumped slightly and saw Hachi cringe as Mana opened her eyes. The girl stared up at him. "Why must you always do that to me?"

"Go to sleep, Mana. We're talking." Mana rolled her eyes, elbowing Hachi lightly as the other girl lay back down. "Okay, fine, be that way. We can have our conversation later."

"I hate you both," the blonde mumbled as she snuggled further under her blankets. Jin chuckled lightly, tucking them around her neck. "I'm going to bite you..."

"So ya say, Mana. So ya say."

Jin waited until the two girls were asleep before he finally settled down himself. He could help a small smile as he drifted off. The day had been a definite success on all grounds...


	16. Kaze no Fantasia! Karaoke Showdown!

Saturday again! And I was right that I'd find something that was more fun to write than the ramune scene! I just didn't think it'd be this soon! But my gods, this was a fun chapter to write. I owe so much of this chapter to my sister, the malicious one in the family. No, really, she can be worse than I am. In fact, she helped me with the very end... which is... just... go read it!

Yuki's behavior is finally explained, at least a little! Sure, we'll never know exactly what goes on in her head, but at least we'll get a few clues to what her current goals are. And (part of) the college group at the karaoke cafe has- gasp!- names now! Originally they were just minor characters, but they seem to have taken on a life of their own, so it was time a few names came into order. But dang, this is a long chapter! I was worried it wasn't going to go up... worried until I managed to get _five and a half thousand words done in a single day_! That's a new record for me! And what's more, I'm completely pleased with how the chapter came out! We even get to see a little blurb from Hachiko's point of view; it's amazed me just how well reviewers respond to that particular twin, so that scene is mostly for you guys. I hope you all enjoy it; it's just another little way to thank all of you for your readership and support! So let's go!

* * *

The twins left Mana's apartment early Friday morning, assuring the blonde that they'd 'try' to be in school that day. With the roads a little more clear, Mana figured it was time to try and head to school again herself. She wasn't the only one who'd been missing school, she found out as she settled into her chair. Most of the kids who lived farther away from Sarayashiki Middle School than her were still missing, as were a few who lived closer. _Slackers_... To her surprise, two of the teachers were also missing. The week had been rough for a lot of people.

Unfortunately, it hadn't been rough enough on Yuki, as Mana learned between classes. "Koyama."

Mana raised her eyes from the book she was flipping through. "Wakahisa. Good morning."

Yuki was smiling brightly, but her eyes were still predatory. "I saw you out walking yesterday. When did your red-haired friend get back in town?"

This again? Mana set back, closing her book. What was Yuki's deal, asking so many questions about Jin? "He just got here, actually. Why do you ask?"

Yuki sat on the edge of the desk next to Mana's, looking down at her, and it occurred to Mana that she was a little like a vulture that way; always peering down at people with her little black eyes. "Where is he staying, anyway? It must have been hard for him to get to town in such rough weather."

Mana didn't like where this conversation was going. "He's staying with a friend of his in town. He got here before the storm got too bad. Again, why do you ask?"

"I was curious. How long will he be in town?"

Mana leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk. "I really don't know how long he'll be here. He mostly goes off of his own whims, I think."

"Mmhmm..." Yuki looked down at her nails; they looked like they'd been manicured recently. "Does he have any plans while he's here?"

"I don't know. Like I said, he mostly just does whatever he feels like." Out of the corner of her eye, Mana could see Sachi watching them warily. The twin had one eyebrow raised slightly; on a whim Mana copied the expression. "You know, you're asking a lot of questions for someone who's just curious."

Yuki stiffened lightly, almost unnoticeably. "Well, he's an interesting guy. You ought to keep an eye on him. Not many guys around here have eyes like that."

The teacher walked in then. Mana was actually glad to see him for once; she wasn't sure exactly what to say. Was Yuki that stubborn, or just that stupid? She headed out to the steps quickly at lunch time, the twins following close behind. Hachi caught up to her first. "What did she want?"

Mana rolled her eyes lightly. "What does she always want? To be a pain in the neck. I just blew her off."

"She had her shark face on. She only gets that look when she's after something." Sachi pulled her lunch out as she settled onto one of the steps. "So what are our plans for this weekend? Are we still going to the arcade tomorrow?"

"I don't have anything else lined up." Mana picked open her lunchbox. "And besides, Jin will probably be bugging me to go somewhere as soon as I get home from school. He's been inside too long."

"He's kind of like a puppy, isn't he?" The blonde stared; Hachi shrugged her shoulders. "He's perfectly happy with food and a bit of attention, and he goes crazy if he's inside too long."

"Oh, jeez..." Mana shook her head, trying to clear the mental image of Jin with a dog's tail, as Sachi burst out laughing. "Hachi, that's just cold."

"No, it's perfect!" Sachi crowed. "Just think about it, floppy ears and a little wagging puppy tail!" Mana groaned; she hadn't even thought of the ears. His own ears were weird enough as it is. "You should totally get him a little collar!"

Mana choked even though she hadn't taken a bite yet. "What the hell are you suggesting?"

"It would look cute," Hachiko answered for her twin. The healer groaned. She was going to go crazy trying to talk to them if they were going to be switching back and forth that way. It was almost as bad as when they finished each other's sentences. "I bet he'd wear it if you made him something nice to eat."

"Jin is not a puppy dog!" Mana forced herself to stay focused on her lunch, looking neither of them in the eye. "I can't believe you guys some times. Where do you come up with these things?"

"It's called an imagination." Hachi rapped her on the forehead. "You should try using yours some time."

"You're insane." Mana took a small bite of her lunch, closing her eyes to enjoy the slight breeze blowing across the steps. "So do we have a plan for tomorrow?"

"The arcade, I guess, and then the contest. They said they were doing it for two weeks in a row to make up for slower winter sales. How does business at a café slow down in the winter?" Sachi spoke quickly before shoveling part of her lunch into her mouth. "I hate having PE first thing. It makes the whole day drag..."

Mana just nodded quietly, eating her meal and still trying to shake the mental images they'd inflicted on her. The twins also fell quiet, but that was to be expected once she became silent; the two of them never seemed to need words to communicate anyway. She'd seen it before, how they would sit there and 'talk' without saying a single thing. That was usually when they were trying to fight with her about something...

The rest of the school day did, in fact, pass at a drag. Mana was thoroughly bored by the time she got home, totting a few bags loaded with standard grocery store boxed lunches. Her apartment was conspicuously quiet when she opened the door. "Hello?"

There was the soft rustling of a page turning; the healer's eyes found Touya reclining on the couch with a book in his hands. "If you're looking for Jin, he went up to the roof. Suzuka went back home to take care of something. He won't be back for a couple of days, he said."

Mana nodded, setting one of the boxed lunches on the table in front of him. "I hope you don't mind chicken. I wasn't sure what you'd like."

"That will be fine, thank you." The ice apparition sat up and it struck Mana, not for the first time, just how easygoing and polite he was. She wondered how he wound up involved with Jin in the first place, but didn't have a chance to ask before he spoke again. "Jin said I should ask you to head upstairs once you get home."

"Alright." Mana set her bag down, heading to her room to change before she went up to the roof. The air was crisp and cool, almost enough so for her to see her breath. She spotted Jin all too fast; his red hair stood out like a neon sign on the white roof. He was whistling as he patted a large pile of snow. Mana stared. "What are you doing?"

"I'm buildin' me a snowman!" The apparition grinned, wiping his hands on his pants. "Ya want to help?"

"You're joking, right?" The blonde picked her way across the roof, examining what he was doing. So far the pile came up to her waist, although Jin seemed intent on making it larger as he gathered more snow to pat down onto the top of it. He paused from his work to look up at her with wide eyes. Mana sighed. "You're not joking, are you?"

"Well, it'd not like it'd hurt ya to try!" Jin reached over to ruffle her hair, but she ducked under his wet hands. "Ya always say that when I try to encourage ya. Why don't ya like fun?"

She looked skyward. "I have no problems with fun. I just have problems with insanity."

"But a little of that can be a good thing, too, ya know!" He prodded her in the side while she was looking away. Mana yelped in spite of herself. "Come on, help me out, will ya?"

An hour later she was still trying to figure out how he'd talked her into this. The snowman was lopsided, leaning heavily to the right; Jin had just laughed it off and fashioned a fin on it's head, saying it reminded him of a friend of his. He had also set a handful of snow on top of _her_ head and then had to catch her by the arm before she could run inside. "Let me go, I'm not getting in another snowball fight!"

"I wasn't gonna ask ya to. Come on, stay outside!" He yanked her back away from the door, hard enough to make her loose her footing. Mana yelped, landing on her rear in the snow. The apparition winced. "Sorry 'bout that. Ya okay?"

She bit back a sharp retort. "Just help me up, would you?"

Jin lifted her easily by the arms, setting her on the ground on her feet. "Sorry 'bout that," he said again. "But I'm still not lettin' ya go back in! There's a good bit of wind out here, and it's a right day for bein' outdoors."

The healer sighed. Well, he was right about the breeze at least. "Jin, I've got homework to do."

"Ya can do that in the evenin', though." He reached over and rapped her gently on the forehead with his knuckles. "I bet that's why yer so pale, isn't it? Ya coop yerself up inside too much. Ya gotta enjoy the sun!"

She gave him the flattest look she could. "Do you know what the temperature is out here right now?"

"That don't matter!" Jin's arms were crossed over his chest. "Good air is healthy for ya." The demon wasn't budging, and... Mana scowled... he'd gotten between her and the door when he'd picked her up. Turning, she headed to look down at the balcony. "Hey, wot are ya doin' there?"

"Trying to figure out if there's enough snow down there to jump safely." Mana frowned. Jumping would probably mean breaking a leg, but if she dropped down gently maybe she would be okay...

Jin caught her around the waist as she was hoisting one leg over the edge. "No, ya don't! I told ya, yer gonna stay out here for a bit!"

"I already did. I want to go inside now." She struggled against his grip, but he held on to her until they'd reached the center of the roof again. "Damn it, how does anyone put up with you?"

He actually laughed. "Ya think I'm that bad, then? Ya haven't even met me buddies yet!"

Mana grumbled as he plunked her down onto the ground. "So you're saying they're worse than you are?"

The redhead sat, cross-legged, about a foot off the ground. "Well, I suppose that mostly depends on wot ya think is wrong with me. Honestly, of the group of us I'm thinkin' I'm pretty well okay."

The blonde stared. "What are your friends like, exactly?"

Jin's face lit up. "Well, ya already met Touya. He's the quiet one of us. He likes books and things, but he's a good fighter, too. Downright scary when he's mad, that one is. And Suzuka, he's a bit crazy, but he's pretty right on when it comes to figurin' out yer strengths and weaknesses. Problem is, he's got that ego issue to work on..." he chuckled. "Of course, he's nothin' when it comes to Shishiwakamaru! Shishi, he goes out and it's like women start poppin' up outta the walls or somethin'! Goes right to his head, it does. He's the antisocial one of the lot of us, always sayin' he doesn't like bein' around, but he never leaves either."

"They sound fascinating..."

"Oh, I'm not done yet!" His ears were pointed slightly, although not twitching by any means. Mana watched them for lack of anything better to do while she was listening. "We got two more of us, all together now. Chu, he's a right okay guy. Fights drunk, says he taught himself. I don't quite get that, really. Ya don't wake up in the mornin' and decide yer gonna teach yerself to beat guys up when yer blotto. Sounds more like the result of too many bar fights, so I say."

Mana nodded slowly. "That's... interesting. And the last one?"

"Rinku!" Jin scooped up a handful of snow, shaping it with his thumbs. "Rinku, he's just a kid. Been hangin' around with Chu since 'afore we knew them, not sure how that happened, but we don't think he's actually got parents. He's mostly a good kid..." Jin frowned slightly. "Sometimes I wonder that he hasn't murdered anyone yet, though. I think he's tried, not so sure if he's succeeded. Honest and truly, I'm not even sure I want to know... I mean, does killin' someone with a yoyo even count? That's what he does, ya know. He kills ya with his toys."

"I see..." Mana shifted slightly. "Um... they sound interesting."

The redhead looked cheerful. "I think ya'll like them well enough if ya ever get to meetin' them."

"Right..." Mana shifted again, uncomfortable in the snow. "Can we please go inside now? I can't exactly float the way you do."

With a sigh, Jin finally relented. "Ahright, we'll go in. But ya owe me!"

"We'll see." Mana stood, brushing herself off as she headed for the door. "We'll see."

She ended up paying him back in coins the next day. Jin tried to give her what she was starting to see as his version of puppy eyes the moment he heard the word 'arcade' come out of her mouth; she had to shake the image of him with a tail again. Touya elected to stay home, leaving Mana to handle the redhead on her own as they walked through the snow to the game center. She pulled her coat tighter around her as a chill wind kicked up; the arcade had been too warm the weekend before, so she'd worn a short-sleeved shirt instead. She'd always liked wearing the blouse for karaoke, even if the sways of gold musical notes didn't actually form much of a melody. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Now she was getting cold.

"Hey, Mana?"

The healer shoved her hands into her pockets, trying to hold the coat tighter that way. "Yeah?"

"One of these days I'm gonna teach ya to do things without havin' to schedule for it."

Mana looked skyward. "That's nice, Jin." Why did he always have to say things like that? There was no right answer for what she could say back, and there was no reason for him to care anyway. She liked her schedules. They kept things tidy...

"Should ya really be walkin' and lookin' up at the same time?" Jin jolted her out of her thoughts abruptly. Sighing, the blonde returned her eyes to the ground. The apparition laughed. "Mana..."

She stopped, resisting the urge to stamp one foot lightly. "What?"

"The arcade's right here." She felt her face burn slightly as he motioned towards the doors. "Yer goin' round with yer head in the clouds again."

"I was doing nothing of the sort." She pushed through the doors, pulling her coat off once she was out of the walkway. "I was just thinking for a moment."

"Sure ya were." He gave her a light poke. "Admit it, Mana, yer a daydreamer and ya know it."

She was about to respond when another voice cut in. "Koyama! What on earth are you doing here?"

Mana felt something inside of her go cold as she turned. "Wakahisa. Hello." She had to fight the urge to gape when she saw her classmate. Mana herself was more than guilty of dressing to look just a little bit older, but this was something else entirely- Mana simply tried to look more mature, but this girl... Yuki seemed taller than usual, a fact that Mana quickly attributed to the heeled boots she was wearing. Her blue denim skirt did nothing to hide the effort to increase her height; on the contrary, it only came down to her knees, showing off the pale pink stockings she was wearing underneath. Her star-emblazoned shirt was even bolder in the cold weather than Mana's flurry of musical notes; it was far more loose and dropped off of one shoulder at a bold angle, clearly revealing the scoop-necked undershirt she was wearing below it. But it was the makeup and jewelry that killed her. Mana wore makeup to enhance her features and quietly add a year or two to her age; Yuki apparently wore it to exaggerate her eyes and lips. Her eye shadow was bright and exotic, her lips were deep and boldly red. Yuki's large plastic hoop earrings made Mana's small studs look conservative; the sparkling star on the hair tie holding up her side-mounted ponytail made the healer's modest clips seem boring. Where Mana tried to improve her appearance by a year or two, Yuki was obviously only satisfied with three or four. "You look colorful today."

"Isn't it nice?" The girl actually spun once. "My friends and I are entering a karaoke contest later, so I decided to jazz it up a bit." Her smile was too smug, her leer a little too pronounced. Mana gritted her teeth lightly. "What do you think?"

"It's bold." She just managed to keep her voice smooth. "You look very bright."

"Why, thank you." She didn't sound sincere. Mana watched as she turned back to her friends, glancing very obviously at Jin as she did. The healer recognized one of the girls; Kyoko Ishida sat next to her at school. Hitomi Asakawa she also knew by name, only because of the fuss that had been made when the girl had joined the class mid-semester. She had fallen directly into Yuki's group. Mana, honestly, hadn't cared.

The twins got there soon after, listening slack-jawed as the blonde recounted the occurrence in low whispers. Sachiko seemed the most affronted. "The nerve of that bitch! What is with her?"

"I have no idea." Mana frowned as Jin tugged her scarf lightly, left out as the girls conferred between themselves. "But honestly, I don't believe for a minute that she's here on accident. Someone had to have heard our plans for today and passed them on. Someone..." Jin tugged her scarf again. She scowled. "What?"

"Mana, I'm thinkin' I might not be too comfortable bein' here right now." The apparition was shifting lightly as he tugged his hat down with one hand. "That girl keeps watchin' me..."

Hachiko groaned. "Oh, god, I think I know what she's doing."

Mana gritted her teeth. She didn't like that tone. "Enlighten us, please."

Hachi, to Mana's surprise, grabbed her by the scarf and pulled her out of earshot of everyone else. "Mana, have you ever considered the fact that to anyone who didn't know you, the sudden change in your behavior when a guy shows up just might insinuate things?"

Best friend or not, Mana still gave her the coldest stare she could. "First, my behavior hasn't changed any. Second, I've told Yuki repeatedly that Jin is not my boyfriend. She should have gotten the point by now."

"And do you think for two seconds she'd believe that when all of a sudden you've learned to smile in class?" Hachi crossed her arms. "It's Yuki. She sees what she wants to see and thinks what she wants to think. She's been worse than usual ever since your essay on the school festival was put in the school newspaper over hers. Trying to snatch your supposed boyfriend seems right up her alley."

"But he's not my boyfriend," the blonde hissed. "She's completely mental!"

Hachiko's stare was flat. "You're just figuring that out?"

"So what the hell do I do?"

"Simple." Sachi bumped in as though she'd been present the whole time. "We one-up her. Mana, I need the keys to your apartment."

"For what?" Mana dug through her bag hesitantly. "What's the plan?"

"I'm going to pick something up. Don't sign up for karaoke until I get there, okay?"

Lavender eyes widened. "Absolutely not. We're not going to use my CDs. They don't even have words!"

"Exactly." Hachi nodded curtly. "Sea or Fantasia, pick one."

"I'm not singing those in public."

The girl stood her ground. "Pick one, damn it. They're not like anything else anyone sings in that contest."

"I do just fine with Evolution!"

"Mana," Sachi's tone was threatening, "right now the element of surprise is our best bet. If you can get up there and sing like you do without even the references, it'll stand out. And we need you to stand out."

The blonde gritted her teeth. She didn't want to be a part of this... but a glance across the arcade revealed Yuki on the dancing games, and the sight of the swinging ponytail made something inside her feel more than a little competitive. It wasn't the fact that Yuki was completely delusional, it was the fact that she was trying to show Mana up at the one place she felt comfortable. "Which one would you say has the more impressive range?"

"They're both outside of what she can do, I bet. Mana, which are you more comfortable with?"

The healer sighed. "Fantasia. Sea has too much going on in the background. Fantasia is cleaner."

Sachi nodded and ran for the door the moment the keys were in her hand. Hachi patted Mana on the shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll teach her to stay off of our turf." Her eyes were sparkling as she pulled out a cell phone... one that Mana recognized by the color as her twin's. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a call to make."

And before she knew what was going on, Mana was left standing alone. She brushed her bangs back from her face, sighing lightly. Now what was she supposed to do?

"You seem to be in quite the predicament."

Mana jumped. "Ku- ...Shuichi. I didn't realize you were here today..."

Kurama's eyes were sympathetic, even if he seemed to be trying not to smile. "I didn't know you had problems like that with your schoolmates."

"Only with that one." She tried to sound nonchalant. "Did your brother drag you out again today?"

He nodded. "He wanted to get out as soon as the storm cleared, but our mother wanted us to wait until the roads were a little safer. Being inside too long isn't easy on a boy his age." His expression seemed to be one of silent amusement. "I'm sure you've had a similar problem?"

Mana groaned lightly. "You have no idea..."

* * *

It took half an hour for Sachiko to get back with the disks. Hachi met her outside, hardly able to stand still in the cold. "Did you find it?"

Her twin nodded. "It was right in the player. How did the call go?"

"They were already going to be there. She laughed when I told her the situation." She couldn't stop a slow smile as she looked over her sister's breathless condition. "You make friends with the strangest people. She seemed to like the idea of getting to make a scene."

Her only answer was a nod as Sachi pushed the doors open. Jin and Mana had been talking to someone inside; Hachiko had never seen him before, but she could feel that he wasn't fully human from the moment she first saw him. She glanced towards the area she'd last seen Yuki in; sure enough, the girl and her friends were drawing as much attention as they could on the popular dancing games. Slipping closer, she could hear the way they were talking and laughing, making just enough noise to catch the attention they wanted. Sachiko sighed softly. It just wasn't fair that Mana had to put up with a girl like that. Her aura was annoyingly sour...

She headed back to her group when she heard Yuki bring up the contest at the café. Her sister was shifting from foot to foot slightly; the sight made her smile. She'd watched Sachiko do that since they were small children; it always meant she was nervous but determined not to show it. Reaching over, she silently hooked her smallest finger around her twin's and felt the shuffling stop. "Are we ready to go?"

Mana nodded quietly, turning the CD case over in her hands. "They'll want to hear the song before they agree to let me sing it. We should get there early."

"I can handle that." Sachi stretched lightly. "The sooner we get there the sooner I can get something to eat."

Glancing over her shoulder, she noted Yuki watching them go. The inhuman boy Mana had been chatting with stayed behind; she saw Jin clap him on the back before they left. After about five minutes of walking, her sister's phone rang. Sachiko's answer was short and to the point. "Did they leave?" Whatever reply she got from the other end made her raise an eyebrow. "That little skank. Thanks for the call. I'll let her know." She flipped the device shut, shoving it into her pocket. "Yuki and her friends just left." Her lips were thin. "Mana, she was making cracks about your hair before she left."

The blonde girl nodded quietly. Hachiko reached over, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Relax. You're going to be fine."

"Right..."

Mana sounded only half-committed as they headed into the café. There was an excited shout; even the blonde raised her head as the college girl with the hair streaks waved them over. "We saved you a table!"

"Erika!" Sachi grinned broadly. "Hey, who are the new faces?"

Hachi's eyes flicked over the group. She was used to most of the faces around the table; the girl with purple streaks, the one whose whole head was purple, the girl who looked like a boy, the actual boy that 'streaks'- as she had always thought of her, anyway- was typically snuggled up to, and the other small group who usually sat in the next booth over. There were two new girls there today, too. 'Streaks' introduced them with a grin. "This is my friend Rika, and this is my sister Kaede." The first girl waved, the sister was too busy with her Sudoku puzzle to even notice. "She's here to be sure I don't embarrass myself."

"Nice." Sachi was grinning boldly. Hachi smiled to herself; at the very least, Sachi could make friends with interesting people. Mana, meanwhile, was talking to one of the girls behind the sign-up desk. Hachi watched as she timidly handed the disk across to her, her cheeks pink. Settling into the booth, the black-haired girl sighed. This was going to be a long afternoon...

"Somethin' wrong there?" Jin slid into the booth across from here, where he always seemed to sit. Hachi shook her head slightly.

"I'm just annoyed, that's all. Yuki's always been cold, but this is a new low. She's always made things hard, I should be used to it by now..."

"Wot started it?" The demon tilted his head, regarding her with curious eyes. "Why'd she start bein' so rotten towards Mana, anyway?"

The girl had to think back a bit. "She was jealous of the attention Mana got when we were kids, I remember that. Once Mana's mother died a lot of the adults at school tried to be accommodating, giving her extensions on her work after the funeral and the like. She never used them, but Yuki wouldn't have known that then." She pulled a paper napkin out of the dispenser, tearing a strip off of it with her fingernails. Jin raised an eyebrow, but she didn't mind. "A lot of the adults were different with Mana back then. Sure, one or two of them looked down on her for her heritage, but most of them were a lot more open to a little girl being different than people are to a teenager who stands out. Yuki didn't like the fact that they were being nice to the weird girl. She's tried to compete with Mana ever since."

"That's rough..." He was frowning slightly. Hachi studied him for a moment; the memory of how he'd patted Mana on the head when she'd seemed to be asleep returned to her mind unbidden. She couldn't help a small smile.

"You know, you really are strange."

The apparition shrugged. "Nothin' wrong with that, is there? I am wot I am, and I don't see any sense bein' anything different."

She felt her smile broaden. "And what are you?"

There was a noncommittal shrug and a wry grin. "Touy says I'm a force of nature." Hachi laughed as Mana sat down, her face cloudy. Jin caught the look at the same time as she did, and had the breath to ask first. "Mana, wot's wrong?"

"Yuki requested Evolution." Mana flopped back against the side of the booth. "It's not a coincidence, it can't be. She's seen me sing it twice."

"Oh, she did not!" Sachi had somehow gotten her hands on a piece of mochi, probably from her older friends. "Erika, that girl stole my friend's song."

"You're shitting me!" Streaks peeked over the back of the booth. "Which song is it?"

"It's Evolution," Mana mumbled, her face flushing.

"By the pop singer?" There was a whispered conference on the other side of the booth before the girl jumped up. "Right, then. Give me just a moment!"

Even Sachi looked confused. "Aya, what the hell is she doing?"

The purple hair tossed lightly to the side. "She's changing her song. She signed up when we got here, so she'll come up first. That way it'll look like the social faux pas is on that other girl for copying."

Sachi beamed. Jin whooped. Even Mana cracked a small smile. "But she doesn't hit the high notes so well..."

"You think she cares?" The girl rolled her eyes. "Erika lives to mess with people that way. Putting people in their places is like a hobby to her. Your friends made her whole day when they called her for this one."

Mana was blushing. Hachi sat back, content with the idea of doing something for her friend... and even more content when Yuki and her friends settled down around one of the tables in the middle of the room instead of sneaking a booth. Now they'd be able to see all of her reactions. Erika bounced back to the booth a few minutes later, grinning. "Ask me how much I had to bribe them so they wouldn't notice that two people signed up for the same song."

"I'm writing that one down to remember later," Sachi said. "Sis, give me a napkin." Hachi was laughing again as she complied.

* * *

Mana was looking more and more nervous as the rounds of music started. Jin watched her tap the ice down in her cola and pick at her pastry. Finally he decided he didn't like this any more; he gave her hair a tousle just to watch her react. She looked up at him with a sigh. "What?"

"Yer gonna be fine." He nodded to the stage just as the girl Erika from the next booth over ran up and grabbed the microphone. "Come on, now, have a smile. This could be fun." The girl Yuki was making a show of being some sort of diva, as best he could tell... it made him shiver every time she looked over towards their table... but her features absolutely froze when the music started to play. The girl turned, stone faced, towards the singer... and the college girl winked cheekily right at her as she started to sing. Sachiko almost fell out of the booth laughing, and he could hear the cheers from the young woman's group as well. He nudged Mana, nodding towards her classmate. "See? Lookit there, she's dyin' in her seat."

He actually saw a tiny smirk on her lips as she nodded. That smirk widened into the first slips of a smile as Yuki took the stage not even half an hour later. Having to repeat someone else's number had done it's job at removing the wind from her sails... especially when Sachi leaned around suddenly and gave the girl in the next booth a very obvious high-five in the middle of the song. He could just hear Hachi mumbling, "Sis, you're evil." Oddly enough, he thought he heard an identical scold on the other side of the booth... but the damage was done. Yuki had been so thrown off that she couldn't even compete with a girl who's pitch had been off to begin with. She jumbled the words twice and sat down red faced and ashamed. And then it was Mana's turn to go up.

He had to nudge her from the booth, but she by the time she had the microphone in her hands she was actually starting to look bold. There was no title given as the music started, and no words showed up on the screen behind her; it remained black. The effect was dramatic, he saw right away, and did its job well. The audience could usually follow the words of the song, splitting their attention between the singer and the screen behind them. With no words on the screen, there was nothing to focus on but his little blonde friend. Mana closed her eyes like he often saw her do over the sink, doing dishes at home, and realized that she was probably pretending to be back in that safe place. He had a smile waiting for her when she opened them, a smile that broadened into a grin as he nodded towards Yuki; the girl was sinking into her chair before Mana had even started singing. By the time Mana was done, it was clear that she'd done her job well; the cheers weren't limited to the three booths against the wall. Jin watched as a young man actually caught her on the arm as she headed back to the table. She sat down pink cheeked. "Wot did he say?"

"He said that he hadn't heard that song in years." Mana was mumbling. "That was one of his favorite shows as a kid." She was blushing deeply, but she was also smiling. "Did you see that? I looked right at her! She was absolutely fuming the whole time..."

"You did great." Hachi reached over to pat Mana on the wrist. "You did absolutely wonderful. You won this one for sure."

Her prediction proved correct; Mana actually placed first for the first time in the small contest. She was blushing as she ran up to the counter to get the prize, which Jin learned with some amusement was actually a gift certificate for that exact café. She mumbled a thanks, hardly able to speak, and came back to them smiling. Hachi grinned as she stood up. "Come on. Dinner is on me."

Yuki caught up with them when they were barely outside the door. The girl was livid. "Koyama! What kind of stunt was that?"

Mana blinked, but Sachi stepped forward before she could reply. "Back of, Wakahisa. What kind of stunt is it when you try to lay claim to a song you know someone else uses?"

"I happen to like that particular song." Yuki's nose was in the air. "But honestly, Koyama, I thought you were better than that. Pulling a cheap stunt to win..."

"Well, it's better than pulling a cheap stunt to get your ass kicked." The voice cut in from behind Yuki and her friends. Erika grinned saucily. "Hey, by the way, my sister has something she'd like to say to you."

Jin had hardly even noticed the quiet girl, a full two inches shorter than her sibling at least and dressed downright conservatively by comparison. Her sister's clothing was bright, although not as bright as Yuki's, but this girl was simply clad in a blue sweater and jeans. Yuki was glaring before the girl had even stepped fully into the light. "What?"

The girl shifted her glasses slightly, looking Yuki over. "Sweetheart, I noticed the moment you walked in that the make-up is all wrong for you. You're what, twelve?"

Next to him, Mana gasped. Sachiko choked. Hachi just smiled quietly as Yuki practically swelled up in rage. "I am fourteen years old! Who are you to talk anyway, you don't look like you're even old enough to put make-up on!"

"You don't need make-up to work in a bank, dearie. And you don't need that much of it to hang out during the day, either. I really think you need to head home and take a good look in a mirror. None of those clothes are appropriate for this sort of gathering."

Yuki's face was turning an angry red. "And I suppose you think you're the authority, then? You look like an old woman!"

The older teen... young woman?... smiled, eerily sweetly, looking the younger girl straight in the eye. "And you look like a whore."

There were hoots and whoops from the college group. Yuki looked ready to explode as she turned on her heel, only to realize that Jin and his group were right behind her. He raised an eyebrow as she pushed around them, narrowly missing the foot that Sachi stuck out for her. Her two friends looked mortified as they followed after her, glancing over their shoulders at Mana; even Jin couldn't read her expression when he looked down at her. She seemed ready to cry...

At least until she started to laugh.

The college group seemed startled, and half-way down the block he saw Yuki turn back, stunned, as Mana began to laugh. It happened as it always seemed to; once the floodgates were broken, the girl just couldn't stop. Grinning, he caught her by the arm as she doubled over. "Hey there, now, stay standin'. It won't do ya any good to fall off yer feet just yet."

"I'm sorry," the healer gasped. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just..." she broke off in a fit of giggles. "I'm sorry!"

Sachi threw back her head and whooped before sharing another high-five with Erika. "That was beautiful!"

"Glad to help. Me, I like making trouble. You guys should come in more than just on Saturdays once you get to high school. You're pretty cool, for a bunch of kids."

"Oh, only when we're in high school?" The boisterous twin looked like her dignity was hurt. "We'll come by any time we want, won't we!"

Hachi only rolled her eyes. "We'll see, sis. It depends on how well you get your homework done."

Jin glanced down as the twins started to bicker. Mana had finally calmed down, but if the way she was resting her forehead against his arm was any indication, she was still breathing too hard to stand on her own. One of the newer girls- he'd thought he'd heard her called Rika- reached over to give Mana a pat on the head. The blonde glared, only to blush when she realized it wasn't his hand on her hair. The girl just laughed. "You're a cute kid. You'll do okay."

Only she and Jin himself could hear the way Mana mumbled a quiet "Thank you." Rika seemed pleased as she headed back over to her friends in time to clap as purple-haired Aya grabbed her friend in a headlock. Jin chuckled as the twins said they're goodbyes; Sachi had found herself a good group to chat with. It had definitely worked out well for them that day. Later that night, when he went to check on Mana- she'd insisted on staying in her own room, but he worried that the heater hadn't had enough time to warm it- he found her fast asleep with a small smile still playing on her lips. It was enough that he was able to ignore the fact that she was still wearing her karaoke clothes...


	17. Rough Morning

Just a short chapter this week, as I seem to be still slightly drained from the last one. I actually, and this is interesting, find I rather enjoy working with Yusuke's point of view. His reactions to things can be amusing.

Oh, my god, how did Kaze jump to the one hundred thousand word count so quickly? I honestly don't think the story is that far yet; this site counts the author's notes as part of the chapter. But I'm almost there! I can hardly believe it! I'll have to go back and actually total things up- yeep! That won't be fun. A huge thanks to everyone who's got me this far, though. Every reader, every reviewer, every message that I've been faved makes my whole day go more smoothly. And I need it, because I find I swear more at the Mega Man X games than I ever did at Dark Tournament and I'm still helplessly, helplessly addicted. Sigh... what is a gamer to do?

A few cultural notes! To remind you, this story is set in Japan, so while it's written out in English the characters are actually speaking Japanese- hence the discussion on the English language later in the story. High schools and some middle schools in Japan do teach English as a standard class; it seems to be the most common second language. However, their methods of teaching the language are different from ours... hence the existence of what anime fans everywhere know as "Engrish." In one season four episode of the anime, in Japanese, Keiko is even seen writing words in a journal and then writing the English translations next to them, practicing the words that most match her current feelings. I found it to be a pretty meaningful scene; one of the words was 'anxiety' and she stared at it for quite a while before moving on. Since Yusuke doesn't do much in the way of homework or even attending class, his English probably leaves a lot to be desired. Mana, on the other hand, is fluent in the language because of her mixed race and the fact that she spent her early childhood in the care of her English-speaking mother.

Another thing to note is that most of you have probably noticed that Mana refers to and even thinks of Yusuke by his last name, and vice versa. This manner of addressing is common in Japan; the first name is usually reserved for the people you are more comfortable with, for family and close friends, or in some notable cases for the guy who's just too friendly. This is why Yusuke is so surprised when Kurama calls Mana by her first name; it's a sign that, on some level, the two have become friends or are at the very least have a deep understanding of each other. I choose not to use honorifics in my stories, but it should be noted that Kurama would probably follow Mana's name with the 'chan' reserved, typically, for those younger than oneself, while she would call him the more respectful "Shuichi-san" or "Kurama-san," acknowledging that in school and in age- and in many other matters- he is at a level above her. As -san is also the polite term for someone that one isn't as comfortable or friendly with, that is also how she and Yusuke would address each other, although, as stated, they would be using their last names in place of the first. When talking to or about the twins, Mana can call them freely by their first names, with no honorific assigned, because they are very close. This would be a mutual thing, as the twins feel the same for her that she does for them. To further it one more extreme, while Mana calls her school rival "Wakahisa" or, with honorifics, "Wahahisa-san" to her face, in thought she would be calling her simply "Yuki" with no honorific at all... and, since the two are not close, this is actually considered an insult. Yuki likely thinks of Mana on the same grounds; as being below the point where common courtesy is required.

And then, as I said, we have Jin, who is comfortable calling everyone by their first name and honorifics be damned, because we're all friends here, right?

I certainly hope that was educational; now it's time for the chapter itself. I challenge anyone and everyone to figure out exactly what happens in the first three paragraphs; they were far too much fun to write. So let's go!

* * *

Mana found she was having a harder time waking up than usual on Sunday. The beeping alarm clock was making a harsh noise. She smacked at the night stand a few times until it shut up. There, that was better... Tea. She needed tea. Pushing herself up off the mattress, the healer felt for the door and headed out into the hallway. Tea was good. Tea would make the blurring go away.

Her foot hit something and for a moment she thought she was on the ground, but then she was back on her feet again without getting up. Blinking twice, she shrugged it off and headed into the kitchen. She knew it was the kitchen because it wasn't the living room any more; there was no light pouring in from the wall to her left. That was where the stove was. She turned it on, staring blearily down at the flame while she waited for the kettle to boil. Odd, the flame looked so clear, and then it didn't, as though someone set something on it. After a moment, the flame looked clear again, so she watched it flicker... and then something covered it again. Mana frowned. That was getting annoying. Turning, she fumbled for the mug sitting by the stove and dropped a tea bag into it. Now she needed the sugar. Where was her spoon? There was supposed to be a spoon sitting by the mug. There was no spoon... well then... she could estimate, right? Yawning, she poured a bit of sugar into the cup right from the sugar bowl. There. That should be about right...

The kettle seemed to be taking a long time to boil. Mana sat, staring blankly at it, waiting for it to whistle. She didn't realize she'd closed her eyes until suddenly the teakettle was screaming at her for all it was worth. Blinking again, she picked it up and poured the water into her cup. There. That was nice. She made the journey back to her room, watching the liquid in the tea cup sloshing. It stopped sloshing once she'd set it on the table in her room. It smelled good...

Mana felt more awake once the cup was drained. Frowning lightly, the blonde stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had fallen asleep in her clothing. How had that happened? Yawning, she stretched and peeled her shirt off. It wouldn't do any good to wear yesterday's clothing on a Sunday.

"Em!"

The girl jumped, practically out of her chair. Jin's hands were clapped over his eyes as he stood in her open doorway. "What the hell do you want?!"

"I was comin' in to tell ya that ya got someone at yer door..." He shifted as though uneasy. "Sounds pretty insistent, too..."

"Did it ever occur to you to try knocking first?" Mana grabbed a clean blouse, pulling it back on quickly. "Honestly, Jin, manners would be nice!"

"Well, I would've knocked just fine if yer door hadn't been wide open!" He was still covering his eyes as she pushed passed him. "Hey!"

Mana ignored him, heading over to the front door. As he said, there was a very insistent knocking... almost more of a pounding... from out in the hallway. Scowling, she opened the door... and stared. Yusuke Urameshi still had one fist raised, ready to hit the door again. He stopped when he saw here, and there was a moment of awkward silence before he spoke up. "Hey."

She shut the door in his face.

Jin was staring at her when she turned around. "That was just plain rude of ya, Mana."

"I'll deal with him in five minutes, once I'm properly dressed and my hair is brushed. I guarantee he'll still be there."

And, in a way, he was there before she came back. By the time Mana came back into the living room, face washed, hair neatly combed, outfit tidy and unworn, Urameshi was sitting on her couch chatting with Jin and Touya. She nodded to the detective as she took her cup to the kitchen. "Good morning."

His response was to stare at her like she'd sprouted a second head. Jin beamed. "Mornin', Mana!"

Somehow, she didn't' have the heart to point out that she'd been talking to Urameshi. "Have any of you had breakfast yet this morning?" There were three shaking heads. "Good. I'm starving."

She could just hear Urameshi as she opened the refrigerator door. "Well, she's interesting in the morning..."

"She can be," Jin agreed. "Doesn't wake up real fast, that one." Mana gritted her teeth as Jin sauntered over to see what she was doing. "Do ya, Mana?"

She gave him a flat stare. "Do you want your breakfast or not?"

The apparition just reached over and ruffled her hair. "Yer a good girl, Mana, but ya need to learn to wake up better. We thought ya'd hurt yerself this mornin'."

"I would like your hand off my head now, please." Jin pulled back enough for her to start work on fixing something to eat. She could hear Touya and Urameshi talking in the living room, mostly about what they'd been doing for the past three months. Great, now she'd have to make breakfast for him, too. She didn't want to do that.

She ended up doing it anyway. It was worth it, she decided, for the look of surprise on the detective's face when she set a plate in front of him. "You made me breakfast?"

"You said you hadn't eaten, didn't you?" She sat down, focusing on her own plate. Let the three of them chat; it was clear enough that they were already friends. She listened quietly as they started to talk about going into town for the day, for lack of very much better to do. _Good_, the healer thought. It would give her some time for some studying.

"Mana will go with us!"

The blonde choked. "What?"

Jin was looking at her with excited eyes. "Well, ya will, won't ya? It'd be more fun with all of us, don't ya think it so?"

She swallowed. "I really don't think that's such a good idea. I..." The redhead's mouth fell into a frown. "I've got studying to do today, Jin," she finished lamely.

'Ya always say that!" Jin gave her a light jab in the side. "Wot have I told ya about gettin' out more?"

"I got out yesterday. I've got other things to do today." Mana kept her eyes trained on her plate, trying to ignore Jin's puppy eyes. She could feel the demon staring at her as she ate, until finally he sat back away from her a bit.

"Say wot ya want to, then. Yer still gonna come with us, even if I hafta drag ya myself." He tucked into his plate enthusiastically, leaving Mana unsure as to what to say. Glancing over, she saw Urameshi watching them with one eyebrow raised and realized her cheeks were burning. Damn it...

She remained silent through the rest of the meal, wondering to herself how she should get out of this. There was always the option of locking herself in her own room... but Jin had already made threats against her door in the past. Maybe if she locked herself in the bathroom? He wouldn't _dare_ break down that door... would he? Once breakfast was done, the girl headed into her own room and flopped down on the bed once the door was securely shut. Now what was she supposed to do?

Not five minutes later there was a knock at the door. "Mana, are ya okay?"

"I'm fine." She scowled, sitting up again. He really wasn't going to leave her alone, was he? Sitting up, the girl went and peaked out into the hallway before the apparition could get any ideas about breaking her home. "What?"

Jin was frowning. "Yer not comin' out with us, are ya?"

Damn it. The blonde sighed. "Jin, I really would like to try to get some schoolwork done..."

"Oh, just come with us already." The healer stared as Urameshi shoved his hands into his pocket. "It's not going to kill your grades to slack of for once, is it?"

"I already missed almost a week of school..."

"Right, so what difference does it make anyway? Sheesh, you're more uptight than Keiko sometimes." Mana flinched lightly. "Just come on, would you?"

"Fine..." She leaned against the doorframe. "At least give me some time to get ready?"

Jin seemed to be much more cheerful. "That we can do! Just no hidin' this time, ahright?" She nodded and shut the door, resigning herself to her fate. There was no way she was going to get to stay home today. They actually weren't going to let her. She sighed, tidying herself up quickly and grabbing a bit of pink lip gloss for the road. Her hair was starting to wave lightly; she grabbed her brush and vigorously combed it down. How many times had she had to take her childhood photos in to school just to prove to a traditionalistic teacher that her hair was naturally blonde? And now it didn't even want to be straight. _Ugh_.

By the time she got back to the living room, the spirit detective had his feet on her table. She resisted the urge to snap, instead coolly picking up her purse. "So where are we going?"

"Hell if we know." Urameshi swung his feet down. "We'll figure it out as soon as we meet Kuwabara. Come on."

_Great_...

* * *

What on earth was her problem, anyway?

Yusuke shoved his hands further into his pockets, wishing he had some gloves. It was never any good; he always ended up loosing one or both of them as a kid, and eventually he'd just given up on the things entirely... but it would still be nice. Across from him, Koyama was tugging her own gloves over her fingers. He couldn't understand why Jin had been so intent on getting her to come along, but if it got them out of that apartment that much faster he was glad to help. The place was too pristine for his tastes. At the very least she could have had more than a plant to look at.

It wasn't that he disliked the girl. She was an okay kid, she just wasn't the kind of person he usually chose to associate with. She was too bookish, the kind of person who- so he had heard- always had the answers even when her mind was clearly elsewhere. From what he'd heard poking his nose around where it probably didn't belong, she was a picture perfect little straight 100's kind of girl who was sweet to the teachers and got all her work done on time. That just wasn't the kind of person he was used to dealing with.

Besides, he still couldn't figure out exactly what it was driving her to be a detective in the first place, and that just downright annoyed him.

Jin was whistling as he walked, and Yusuke couldn't help a wry grin. Now Jin, he liked. Anyone who could appreciate a good fight was okay with him. The wind master's whole group was pretty okay with him, actually, and that was rare enough in and of itself; Yusuke didn't usually find that many people that he liked in one place. The way he saw it, if they wanted to come through and hang out in the human world a bit, that was fine with him. It had puzzled him at first as to why he and Touya had decided to stay with the healer, but now that he'd actually had a meal at her house he thought he could figure that one out for himself, at least. Koyama's cooking sure beat the hell out of his mother's...

"Hey, Urameshi!"

"Yusuke!"

The fifteen-year-old detective raised his head- and one hand- to the familiar voices. Kuwabara was grinning like an idiot, as always, so he didn't really care about that. He was just thankful Keiko was smiling; it meant she would be less likely to start nagging at him. "Hey, guys! I brought visitors! Any sign of Kurama yet?"

"He called my house earlier, said he was gonna be late." The tawny fighter blinked. "Hey, Koyama! Didn't expect to see you here."

The girl's cheeks actually turned pink. "Hello, Kuwabara, hello Yukimura." Sheesh, he could hardly hear her through her scarf. Uncertain as to how to respond to the meek reply, Kuwabara turned his attention to the two demons instead. Yusuke nodded to Keiko.

"Hey, Keiko."

"Hello, Yusuke." It still felt strange when she looked at him like that. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to figure out what to say. She beat him to it. "I bet you haven't even started working on that book report, have you?"

Damn, she _was_ going to nag. That was the bad thing about being in Keiko's class; she knew exactly what homework he had and when. "I, uh, flipped through the book a bit?"

Keiko looked ready to protest when another voice cut in. "Well, it looks like I'm the last one here." Kurama smiled apologetically as he strode over; he looked casual, but Yusuke noted with a snicker that he wasn't the only one who'd forgotten his gloves. The fox had his hands deep in his pockets, too. He regarded the group with some surprise. "Mana, I didn't expect you to be here. Hello."

"Hello, Shuichi." The girl nodded politely. "I got dragged again."

The green-eyed one laughed. "I can see that. Kurama will do for now, though. Oh, Keiko, I found that book you wanted to borrow. I don't have it with me, I'm afraid. It didn't seem like the best idea to bring it with me. But I can drop it off at your parent's restaurant later, if you'd like."

"That would be great." Yusuke rolled his eyes, wishing it were easier to turn on his selective hearing. It always drove him nuts when those two started talking schoolwork. Hey, wait a minute. Yusuke frowned. Since when was Kurama on a first-name basis with Koyama?

They ended up walking around for over an hour before they actually figured out what to do. It wasn't even planned, really; they just happened to be passing a theater and Kuwabara had made the suggestion. It actually led to an argument of sorts; no one could agree on what to watch. The problem was Keiko; she wanted to see a movie in an entirely different language. "Keiko, come on. You and Kurama are the only ones who would even understand a movie in English! Pick something the rest of us can watch, too!"

There was a soft sound behind him. "I speak English, too, you know." The detective blinked, turning. Koyama was picking lightly at her scarf. "If it's really that big a deal, I could help translate."

Kuwabara was openly staring, but Kurama nodded politely. "That's right, you said your mother was American, didn't you?"

The blonde head bobbed slightly. "I've been speaking English since I was three."

"That's perfect." Keiko nodded in approval herself. "Then the three of us can translate for you..." her brown eyes found Yusuke's... "in case you don't remember a some of the words from class."

"Oh, sure, like I actually remember anything from that class..." Yusuke scowled lightly, but now Kuwabara was starting to look thoughtful.

"You know, I have been doing better on the quizzes. It might be good practice."

"Ah, great. Hey, is anyone thinking to ask these two?" Yusuke jerked his thumb towards the visitors... but Touya just shrugged.

"We'll watch whatever you decide on. We won't be the ones paying for it, after all."

"You've got to be kidding me..."

Yusuke was resolving himself to a boring afternoon when Koyama spoke up again. "We could always see two movies, you know. It's still early in the day..."

"I could do that." Kurama was checking his watch. "She's right, there's more than enough time to see a movie, get something to eat, and then see one more before it gets late."

"Can we at least get the foreign one out of the way first?" Yusuke shifted from foot to foot. "That way some of us can actually enjoy the afternoon."

Keiko rolled her eyes. "Yusuke, don't be such a brat."

In the end that was what they did. Yusuke sat down for lunch with a muddled head. He hadn't understood _any_ of that. Even Kuwabara had been laughing from time to time at the film on the big screen, although half the time Yusuke noticed it seemed to be at the parts where no one else was reacting. Either way, even he had seemed to understand it to some extent, and the girls didn't seem to have had any problems at all. The teen kicked back, leaning against the wall of the booth they'd settled into. Kurama smiled at him sympathetically, seeming to understand as he always did. Sometimes he wondered if the fox could read minds. He certainly seemed to have had a better time with the film than the other red-headed demon at the table; Jin was pestering Mana for details about one of the scenes. He watched, amused, as Keiko tried to help explain it. Between the two of them he was almost starting to get it himself.

The second movie they saw was a horror movie. Yusuke enjoyed _that_ a lot more, especially since he got to have a good laugh at Keiko. To think the girl had followed him to the Dark Tournament and a good, old fashioned thriller could still make her shriek. He was still chuckling about it as they stood when Jin's voice snapped him back to reality. "Hey, wake up!"

He turned just as Koyama started to shift. She sat up blinking, rubbing one eye with the back of her hand. "Is it over already?"

"Yeah, it ended." The redhead was staring. "Ya mean ya actually fell asleep there?"

"Sorry." The girl stood, blinking at Kurama. "What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing." Kurama chuckled lightly. "I think it may be time for me to part ways. I'm supposed to be helping with dinner tonight. Keiko, I'll stop by afterwards with your book."

"That will be fine." Keiko smiled brightly. "Yusuke, you should borrow it when I'm done. It should be very useful for that report."

"I'll take care of it on my own, sheesh!" He waved goodbye to Kurama as he left. He had to admit, the guy seemed a lot happier since his mother got married. Probably because he wasn't having to worry about her so much any more, the detective decided. Keiko was the next to go, which made Yusuke feel a little awkward inside. He never knew just how to say goodbye to her any more. Then again, things had been different for them ever since he died...

Koyama had fallen back a bit, watching Jin and Kuwabara chat. Well, better now than any other chance he'd had that day. "Hey."

The girl blinked. Yusuke tried to ignore how pale her eyes were; he'd stared miserably the first time they'd met until she'd finally demanded to know what was so interesting about her face. After a moment she gave him a light nod. "Urameshi."

"Have you thought at all about what I suggested?" He dropped back into step next to her. "About the weapons?"

"I have." Strange, she suddenly didn't sound nervous any more. In fact the girl who'd been speaking in a subdued voice most of the day suddenly sounded forceful. "If a weapon is what I need, then that's what I'll do. It won't be a problem."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. Well, so much for her giving up. "Then I guess that's that. We'll see how far you go with it."

"Yes," the blonde muttered, so softly he almost couldn't hear her, "we shall."

He watched, amused, as she hurried to catch back up to the others. Who knew, maybe she'd be okay after all...


	18. Just Another Stupid School Day

Um, hi. Aeris here. Okay, I know, you probably all want an explanation about why there was no chapter last week. I've been holding a steady update pace for three months now and you're all pretty well used to it, so I guess I owe you all an explanation. Simply put... I didn't feel like it. I've been under a lot of stress lately, and the chapter I was trying to work on (and restarted five times) was just feeling too rush. I put the story on hold for a week to give myself a break and let me sort of re-align with the flow of things. I hope you all understand. Three months of once-a-week updates do take their toll. On the plus side, I didn't get a single angry message, so I'm fairly sure most of you worked this out for yourselves. Even I need a break from time to time. Either way, it's great to be back and writing again. I feel totally refreshed now, and ready to get back to my story!

So, you're probably all wondering now what I've been doing if I haven't been writing. Well, you guys know me pretty well by now, right? I'm a writer, a near-compulsive gamer, a mass-consumer of webcomics and socialization... and a compulsive gamer... OKAY, I'VE BEEN SITTING HERE FOR TWO WEEKS READING QUESTIONABLE CONTENT AND BOB AND GEORGE AND PLAYING THE MEGAMAN X SERIES! Are you happy now? I have been SLACKING OFF! Which is probably why I feel so refreshed, aside from the occasional bouts of screaming my head off at the robot masters... okay, technically the robot masters were the bosses in the first Megaman series, but damn it, these new guys look like robot masters to me! Anyway, as I was saying, I spent most of the last two weeks just kind of taking a vacation, kicking butt, laughing at comics, bouncing around ideas for totally new stories that won't be written or even started until I can play at least a dozen other video games for research (translation: Kaze is not going on hiatus any time soon, so don't worry) and turning into a total Zero fangirl. Oops, I didn't mean to say that last one out loud...

By the way, seeing as I can think of at least three or four of you off the top of my head who might want to go see what I've been reading when you're done with this chapter, I probably should try advising that Questionable Content... em... lives up to it's name, and you should really sit and evaluate your own mental maturity before you go and read it. Bob and George should be fine for all of you, though. Unless you value your sanity...

The next couple of chapters after this one are going to be what are known as "cute" chapters. There are a couple of months that need to go by until I can get into the next serious plot-line, which starts in mid-spring or so... and as you all remember, it is January. But, at the very least, I can get a couple of concepts out of my head that have been making me giggle for some time now, including one of my favorite. Plot devices. Ever. For now, though, I think we can all sit back, relax, and have another good curse/laugh at Yuki's expense. Geez, I abuse her a lot. I should find a way to give her a nice break for a while... tee hee...

Thanks so much for being patient, you guys. A lot of you have told me several times that you look forward to Saturdays and new updates, and I really did feel like I was letting a lot of you down by taking a break, but mentally I was just too exhausted to turn out a good chapter. And I'd rather take a week off from time to time than post something I'm not proud of, because then none of us win. Again, though, I'm feeling fine and back in action now... So let's go!

* * *

Jin knew Mana was in a foul mood when she got home from school because he heard the front door slam all the way from outside. He had been shoving the snow off the balcony when he heard it; he peeked inside in time to see her throw her bag on the table in a huff. "Mana? Ya doin' okay?"

"No, I'm not!" The girl flopped onto the couch and pulled her shoes off. "I hate Yuki! I absolutely hate her!"

The redhead cringed, heading inside. "Ahright, wot happened?"

"Wet paint!" The blond virtually spat. "Wet paint, all over the inside of my desk! I had to get new books and new supplies!" The girl flopped backwards on the couch cushions, rubbing her temples. "I'm going to get her back for this..."

Jin frowned. "I've never once heard ya talk like that afore. Are ya feelin' okay?"

"I'll be fine." The girl's arm fell to her side and she just rested there, motionless, with her eyes closed.

Jin frowned, studying the lines on her face. "Yer tired. Ya ought to go and lie down for a bit, so I say. It won't be doin' yer head any good to be pushin' it when yer feelin' down." She nodded mutely, reaching up to rub her forehead again. "Ya think maybe yer hurtin' from where ya hit yer head yesterday?"

The girl frowned. "Jin, what are you talking about?"

He sighed. Of course she didn't remember. "When ya got up yesterday, ya hit yer head somethin' bad." The girl gave him a flat look. "Ya did! Tripped and whacked it a good one on the couch. Me and Touy were worryin', but ya seemed fine once I'd picked ya back up."

The girl's expression was a mix of confusion and disbelief. "Anything else I missed when I woke up?"

"Well, ya did start the stove without havin' the water in place, but Touy fixed that for ya." He reached over, trying to remember where her head had hit the couch, and brushed her hair back. "See, I think ya got a bit of a bruise there."

"Great." The girl huffed, her bangs fluttering lightly. "Just what I need."

It took him half a minute to stand up and scoop the girl off the couch. She yelped, but he just ignored it. "Okay, come on. Ya need some open air right now, so we're gonna go find some."

"Jin, put me down!" He tightened his grip for a moment, waiting for the inevitable struggling to stop. After a moment she stopped trying to get free. "Jin, seriously, please put me down?"

"Nope!" He headed outside onto the balcony. The streets seemed clear at both ends when he checked. Good... he really didn't need to get yelled at for this one. "Okay, then. Yer gonna want to hold on for this one."

The girl clung to his neck. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Just promise me ya won't go screamin' in me ear, okay?" He shifted her lightly, waiting for the breeze around them to kick up a bit. It was always an exhilarating feeling, that first moment when his feet lifted off the floor. Mana didn't stop squeezing his neck until he'd landed them on the ground below. "There, see? That wasn't so bad, now, was it?"

"Do you have any idea how busted my ass is if anyone catches you doing that?" The girl was half-whispering, half-hissing. The wind master just chuckled. "I'm serious! What if someone had been looking out a window or something?"

"Then I'm bettin' we'd be hearin' a lot more shouts right about now." He moved to set her on the ground, only for her to yelp and pull her legs off. "Eh, wot's wrong now?"

"My shoes are still upstairs!" Jin blinked, glancing at her feet. Sure enough, she was only wearing her socks. Mana whined lightly. "You idiot..."

The redhead frowned. "Well, I guess I'll just be havin' to carry ya, then." Shifting his hold, he started down the alley as Mana started smacking him on the head. "Hey, now, there's no needin' for that. Yer gonna make a scene."

"And it's not going to make a scene with you carrying me?" Now she was flat out hissing. Jin sighed lightly.

"Not if everyone sees yer not wearin' shoes. That speaks for itself, I'm thinkin'." The girl grumbled, but held still as he carried her at last. It took him a few turns to remember the way out into the forest... and Mana seemed to be dozing slightly by the time they got there. The apparition stared. Was she really feeling that off color? Either way, the shout when they lifted off the ground almost deafened him. Cringing, held tighter to keep from dropping her as she started to squirm again. "Mana, come on, yer startin' to hurt me neck..."

"What are you doing?" She clung to him, alarmed. The wind master shifted his grip, lifting them off the ground a bit more. The wind didn't mind today that he had a passenger, even if she did wiggle a bit. He sighed. Couldn't she ever hold still?

"I told ya before, remember? I told ya I'd take ya for a flight proper." He felt his ears twitch lightly; the breeze was cold today, but it was still lively. He liked it just that way. "Come on, Mana, look around a bit. Isn't it pretty?"

The girl peeked upwards from where she had her face pressed to his chest and gasped. Jin grinned slightly, admiring the view himself. The entire forest was spread out beneath them, snow-covered and glittering white in the sunlight. Gleaming icicles hung down from the tree branches, occasionally breaking free and falling to the ground with a soft noise that sounded almost like chiming bells. Mana's fingers released their death grip on his shirt a bit as she stared, eyes wide and mouth gaping slightly. "Wow..."

"Ya don't get to see things like this every day, do ya?" The girl shook her head silently. "I bet ya never even take the time to look, do ya?" There was another swish of blonde as she shook her head again. He held on to her a little tighter; it was cold, and her body emitted a lot of heat for being so small. "Ya need to slow down, Mana. Ya run through things too fast. Yer still young, there's plenty of time ahead of ya, but that doesn't mean ya should waste what ya have now bein' angry."

There was another, less pronounced nod. Jin smiled to himself, looking out over the woods. The human world was awful pretty. It was a shame the humans never seemed to realize it.

By nightfall Mana seemed to be mostly okay again. Jin ate his dinner and watched her doing her schoolwork, chatting with Touya all the while about the contents of her history book. The conversation was slightly dizzying, mainly because the redhead had no idea what the other two were talking about. Finally he just sat back and waited for the healer to finish her work at the table and head for the couch. It was late by the time she did. "Hi."

"Feelin' better now?" He scooted over to make some room as the girl curled her legs up under her. She nodded, twisting the ends of a strand of her own hair around one finger.

"A little bit." He reached over, resting one hand on her forehead on an impulse. She pulled back in annoyance. "I'm not ill, Jin."

"Just makin' sure." He smiled brightly, but the girl just sighed and shifted how she was sitting, hugging her knees against her chest. "Okay, wot's wrong now?"

"I'm worried about going to school tomorrow. Some of Yuki's friends were on cleaning duty today." The girl was twirling her hair around her finger again, studying the ends quietly. Jin frowned.

"And yer afraid of more pranks, are ya?" She didn't answer, but the silence said enough anyway. "Ya can't snitch, either, can ya?"

"There won't be proof of who actually did it. Not enough for the teachers, anyway." Jin noticed with some amusement that when Mana finally dropped the hair she'd been playing with it actually stayed curled. "I don't know what to do."

"So don't do anythin' at all, then." He ignored her skeptical look and kept talking. "Sometimes when someone's bein' rough with ya, ya want to react out of anger. But then ya might be the one gettin' in trouble yerself, right? Just wait it out, let them do wot they want and get bored, and who knows, mebbe later ya can blindside 'em yerself."

"Jin." The redhead winced as Touya cut in. "That's not the best advice to give someone her age."

"Well, it's the truth, so she might as well learn it now." The wind master nodded curtly. "It can't hurt her to learn to look out for herself, can it, Mana?" There was no answer. "Mana?"

Touya chuckled softly, prompting Jin to actually look over at the girl; she was fast asleep. "Does she do this a lot?"

"All the time." Jin laughed to himself quietly. "Always happens about this time of night, I've found. Sit and have a conversation with the girl and she'll fall asleep the moment ya stop for yer breath. Works herself to hard, I think."

Touya nodded, waiting silently as Jin scooped the girl up and carried her into her own room. At the very least the little girl should have been allowed to be comfortable. Touya had settled onto the couch by the time of his return. "You've learned a lot about her in a short time, haven't you?"

"She's easy to learn." Jin flopped down, stretching his arms over his head before kicking back a bit. "She's a good girl, just not so good at bein' social yet. When she took me in she would sit and just kinda talk from time to time, and ya could tell she'd been waitin' a long time for someone to listen to her. Seems like the least I can do is keep an eye on her a bit."

Touya gave him an appraising look. "And if you get to take regular trips to the Ningenkai to do it, no harm there, correct?"

Jin grinned. "Well, I can't be sayin' there isn't a little somethin' in it for me, can I?"

The ice master shook his head. "Have I ever told you how predictable you are, Jin?"

"Every time and again, I suppose." The grin crept wider across his face. "Every time and again."

It was good to have friends.

* * *

Her desk seemed unscathed when she sat down that morning. Her locker, too, had been left alone. By the time lunch rolled around, Mana was in a state of stunned disbelief. Why hadn't they done anything to her things when they'd had the chance? It wasn't until she was out on the steps that she'd found out what had happened. "You guys seriously stayed late?"

Hachi nodded as her sister busied herself with her lunch. "I asked the teacher to explain a bit of the literature we were reading in class to me and ended up being able to drag it out for over half an hour. You just have to know which ones like to talk a lot." Mana stared, awe-struck. She was used to Hachi occasionally being crafty, but this was a new level of skill. The girl seemed to know what she was thinking; she grinned lightly. "I'm getting good at covering your back."

Mana nodded lightly, popping open her own box lunch. "Thanks. I was really worried yesterday."

"We know." Sachi reached down to pat her on the back. "Don't worry. We'll keep an eye on things for you. I'm on cleaning duty today."

Mana groaned. "Just don't hit anyone with the brooms this time."

Sachiko looked indignant. "I told you, that was an accident."

"We know, sis, we know." Hachiko laughed quietly. "So, Mana, how are your houseguests doing?"

"They seem to be fine." Mana took a bite of her rice, reflecting on the fact that she once again had no recollection of actually going to her room the night before. The twins shared a glance before turning in unison to look back at her. The blonde frowned; she didn't like that look. "What?"

"Mana, is it really a good idea to let Jin start dragging friends through to our side? Couldn't you get in trouble for that?"

The healer sighed lightly. "Right now I don't think it is. Urameshi seems to know his group pretty well. I don't think any of them are troublemakers."

The twins each raised an eyebrow. Mana noted with a small start that they automatically mirrored each other's expressions. "You don't think any of them are troublemakers, and yet they're friends with... with _him_?"

"Um..." Ah, fiznit. That was a compelling argument... "I think they all met over some sort of tournament." That was what Jin had said, right? At least by now it was pretty safe to figure he'd been talking about the other detective then. She couldn't remember the details too well. Maybe she should ask again...

"Earth to Mana, you have clearance to land."

Crap, which one had said that? Had to be Sachi... "I was just thinking, cut me some slack." Mana stood, blinking at a sudden breeze. It felt... nice. At least, it was pleasant until she noticed Yuki and her group across the way. Her 'rival' had her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "We don't have any quizzes or anything this afternoon, do we?"

"Nope." Hachi shook her head, her twin pigtails swishing. "Why, did you forget to study or something?"

"No," Mana brushed her skirt off. "I just feel like going home a bit early today." There was a resounding silence. By the time she looked up again, both twins were staring. "What?"

"You're just going to skip out on class today?" Hachi frowned. "Mana, whatever happened to taking school seriously?"

"I do. I just feel like taking a break today." Mana headed up the steps, intent on the classroom. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?"

She left them slack-jawed on the steps, silently hoping that Yuki wouldn't try to stall her before she could make a clean escape. She didn't feel like dealing with a scene today, so the best thing to do would be to just go. After all, she told herself firmly, she could get away with just one day...

By the time she actually got to her locker, reason had kicked in again. She couldn't leave school, not yet. She had already missed one day, and then some, when that snow storm hit. It wouldn't be responsible of her to leave now. People might start lumping her in with some of the _other_ students... sighing, she shoved her book bag back into her locker and headed for one of the bathrooms instead. A splash of cold water on her face had her thinking clearly again. She would wait the day out. There was nothing else to do.

"Why, Koyama, what are you doing inside alone?"

The blonde tensed up before she could stop herself. Damn it. _Damn it_! Forcing herself to keep a composed face, she turned around. "Wakahisa, I could ask you the same question. Weren't you outside just a minute ago?"

Yuki's expression was openly ugly. All pretences were gone, politeness cast to the side. "You know, you think you're pretty damned smart, don't you, pulling little stunts with all of your little friends to back you up."

"What kind of stunts?" Mana kept her voice level. "Stunts like you're little outfit the other day?" Yuki's eyes narrowed dangerously as the blonde tried to push past. "Face it, Wakahisa, it's never going to work. Nothing you try ever does."

She was shoved back before she ever made it to the door. Mana wasn't sure of the name of the new girl in Yuki's group, but she thought she recognized her as an upper-classman. _Damn_. She was really ready to make a scene out of this! Yuki's arms were crossed over her chest in a manner that clearly read 'superiority issues.' Mana eased her hands behind her to push herself up, counting silently. Four against one. Not good...

"Is something going on in here?" Yuki only half-turned, eyeing the newcomer at the door. To Mana's surprise, Keiko Yukimura didn't even seem phased as she stepped into the small room. "Koyama, are you okay?"

Something in the girl's brown eyes seemed to be saying she understood what was going on. Mana nodded, murmuring a quiet "I'm fine." The older girl nodded once, her eyes showing that same understanding as she helped Mana rise to her feet. The blonde blinked at a sudden prod to her side; glancing down, she noticed with a start the motion the brunette was making before the girl relaxed her hand. She nodded again. "Thank you. I think I slipped on something."

"It's okay. These floors can get slippery, I know. There must be a leak somewhere." Mana frowned lightly; the floor was perfectly dry. She would know; she had just been sitting on it... and then Urameshi's girlfriend actually winked slightly. Mana's eyes widened just as Yuki cleared her throat. She couldn't _possibly_ mean for her to...

"If you don't mind, we were having a private conversation before Koyama... slipped."

Yukimura turned, blocking Mana's right side with her body. "Well, I'm afraid this isn't the place to be doing it. You're disrupting the other students. The bathrooms aren't your private meeting rooms, you know." She easily countered Yuki's cross-armed stance with her own hands on her hips. "And besides, this doesn't look like very much of a conversation to me. Behavior like this will only make the school look bad."

Using her upper-classman's body to shield the motion, Mana raised her hand and fired her reigun before Yuki could respond. The results were better than she had hoped; the handle on the faucet actually broke off when the small shot hit it, sending a fountain of water shooting into the air right in the middle of the standoff. Yuki yelped and leaped backwards, slipping in the fast-growing puddle and landing hard on the floor. Mana and the other girls spent the next hour being questioned by the teachers, but the only explanation that anyone could really come up with was that the faucets were old and that something had given way. Mana sighed as she sank into a chair in the hallway, waiting to be sent home. Her clothes were were stiff from drying off, and she wanted to change...

The blow to the head came as a surprise, but not nearly as much as the fact that it was Yukimura, not Sachiko, who hit her. "Ow! What was that for?"

"I can't believe you did that to the sink." The girl sat down next to her, her damp hair plastered to the back of her neck. Mana stared in disbelief before hissing quietly.

"Well, what were you expecting me to do? You're the one who told me to fire!"

Now Yukimura had her arms crossed over her chest. "But I didn't think you'd go so far as property damage. That's Yusuke's job, not yours."

Mana cringed. "It was that or the mirror randomly exploding. The sink seemed like a better idea. I don't exactly have enough power to try sacrificing a toilet, and I needed something that seemed at least slightly plausible, so that was it."

To her surprise, the older girl actually laughed. "Well, I guess you have a point. Your choices were a bit limited, weren't they?" Mana nodded lightly. "I'm glad you're okay. I saw those girls following you into the bathroom, and it just looked like trouble."

Mana nodded, keeping her voice low. "Thanks, Yukimura. Wakahisa sort of has it in for me right now..."

There was a quiet nod. "You can call me Keiko, if you'd like. I don't mind." The blonde nodded, quieting as a teacher walked past. Keiko also fell silent until they were gone. "If you're going to be working with Yusuke, it means we'll probably be seeing more of each other now. So we might as well be friends, right?"

Eyes wide, Mana nodded slowly and watched as a repair man hurried towards the girl's restroom. "Then you can call me Mana, I guess."

Keiko actually smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that. Are you going to be okay heading home on your own now?"

"I should be." Mana stood, brushing her skirt down slightly. Yuki chose that exact moment to storm down the hall, her eyes narrowing as they passed over Mana. It was almost enough to make her shiver. "Um... maybe not after all."

The final bell rang, and Keiko stood. "I'll walk with you, then. There's safety in numbers." Mana nodded quietly, ducking into the classroom to get her bag. The twins didn't seem to notice; they were busy speaking to the teacher. Mana slipped out the back door, sincerely hoping they wouldn't see her. She didn't feel like explaining what had happened in the bathroom in person. "Okay, let's go."

They headed out the gates silently. Keiko waited until they were a couple of blocks away from the school until she spoke. "You know, it's okay to tell someone if you're having problems with those girls. I don't think anyone will hold it against you."

"They would." Mana watched the ground as she walked. "Yuki would never give me a moment's peace if I got any of the teachers involved. And if I know the twins, Sachi would find a way to get herself in trouble, too. I'd rather my friends not have to deal with school problems because of this."

"I wasn't talking about telling the teachers." Keiko waggled a finger at her. "Maybe you and your friends should try sitting with me and my friends tomorrow. It might even help if you learned to talk to Yusuke, too. He does worry about you, you know."

The healer stared, unable to quite stop herself from running her mouth just a little. "That's news to me."

"That's because you don't really know him yet." Keiko shifted her bag. "Yusuke has never been very good at getting along with people. He's pretty much an idiot when it comes to trying to express himself, so it's kind of hard to tell what he really thinks sometimes. I've had my share of practice, though. I don't think he's nearly as bad as you think." Mana remained stone silent. The brunette seemed to recognize the topic as being raw territory; she changed the subject. "Why is this Wakahisa girl so mad at you, anyway?"

"It's mostly because of a contest the other day, I think." Grudgingly, Mana told Keiko about what had happened, leaving out the twin's theories about Jin. That was still just too weird to think about. Keiko was laughing quietly by the end of it. Mana frowned. "I don't see what's so funny..."

"I'm sorry. Your friends sound so interesting, is all." The older girl gave her a cheerful smile. "It's always good to have some backup in a situation like that."

"It's mostly Sachiko's backup. The ringleader of that group seems to think she's just adorable. I don't get it myself, but apparently she's a bit of a troublemaker."

"I can tell. Don't worry, though. Sometimes troublemakers can be useful, too." There was another laugh, although this time Keiko seemed to be giggling at herself. "Look at me, I can't believe I'm talking that way. Yusuke must be rubbing off on me."

Mana gave her a plaintive look. "Can't you try rubbing off on him instead? I think it might make him a lot more pleasant to be around."

"What do you think I've been trying to do for years now?" Keiko paused suddenly. "Mana, can I ask you something personal?"

_Great_. "I guess so." Mana had a vague idea that she knew where this was going. Yusuke must have put her up to this, he just had to have. This was his girlfriend, after all. Of course she'd question Mana's motives for...

"Mana, do you really like being by yourself all the time?"

The blonde stared. "Wh-what?"

"I hope you don't mind my asking. I was just wondering is all. You seemed so reluctant to hang out with the rest of us on Sunday, but at the same time there were a few times when you seemed like you really wanted to be a part of things. I was just wondering if maybe you felt a little lonely sometimes."

Mana swallowed slightly. "I'm mostly okay, really. I was just trying to loosen up a bit. I..." Keiko was giving her a look. The healer frowned. "I'm fine."

"If you say so." Her tone was openly disbelieving as they arrived outside Mana's apartment building. "Listen, if you ever need help again, you let me know, okay?" Mana nodded quietly. Keiko smiled again. "You know, you really should try actually talking to Yusuke. I think the two of you are a lot more alike than you realize."

For the life of her, Mana didn't even want to _think_ about how to reply to that...

* * *

_Jin only got to stay for a few more days before Suzuka came back to get him and Touya. At the very least it seemed to be long enough for Mana to start to loosen up slightly; she no longer came home from school quite so tense and paranoid once she knew she had an ally in Keiko Yukimura. Suzuka managed to avoid bringing up Mana's feeding techniques, which made Jin more than a little curious, but he decided to just roll with it. After all, who could predict the inventor's thought patterns? As long as Suzuka gave him the gates next time he wanted to go through, it was probably better not to argue... so he didn't. He just went with the flow. That was the best way to handle the wind, after all._


	19. How to Care for a Sick Human

Whee, Saturday again! Today's chapter was FUN! It's actually been in the works for a very long time; there are two parts that I wrote before even knowing if I'd ever use them. The beginning sprang up from a moment of 'what if' that got out of control, and I never thought I'd make a full chapter out of it, but there you go. And then later there's a discussion between Jin and Touya that I didn't think I'd be using nearly this soon.

A few notes to be made; on the third of July, less than one week from now, I'll be going on a trip. I'm actually leaving the day before, taking an over-night train... I love trains... and staying where I'll be for two weeks. I didn't know I was going to be taking this trip until about a week ago, and I'm not sure if I'll have computer access, so there might not be another update until after the twentieth or so of July... but I'm going to try really, really hard to make sure that's not the case. I've already got the next chapter started, and it's one I've been really looking forward to, so with any luck at all I'll have it up some time on my vacation if I can't get it up the day before I leave, which is... gulp... Thursday. At the very least I'll have a few blank notebooks with me so I can write some chapters out by hand and type them up when I get home. I know it sucks that I'm doing this right after taking a break, but this trip is seriously last minute... so I'll tell you what. I'll try getting my sister to do a few more drawings of Mana when I'm visiting with her, sound good? That way we all get something out of it.

Wait, my sister is going to read this. Um... Hi! Love you, Ki!

Also, a note on the content of this chapter. Jin is usually regarded as a hyperactive, happy character, but there is evidence that he has a very sharp, very nasty temper. There is one scene, and only one, in the entire Hakusho series where you see Jin get mad, and not only is it practically instantaneous- when his team is first introduced in the Dark Tournament he goes from being very, very bored and kind of 'blah' to being downright _scary_ over a single wrong move by a teammate- but he also gets over this flare almost as fast as it started, settling down to relax and whistling quietly to himself moments later when he's certain his point has been made. Jin can hold back some of the other shinobi with a single glare; not one member of his team argued with his decision. But, again, he did snap out of it fairly quickly; one flare that left Bakken shaking in his shoes (the stinky bastard) and he was back to being rather disinterested with the proceedings. I guess what they say about redheads applies to him, too.

This chapter is the plot device I mentioned in my last author's note- one character falls ill, and the others have to try to care for them. It's a concept I like to use from time to time when I feel like writing something with the "aww" factor. This is the first time, however, that it's ever reached the internet. The story of Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree is a little nod to my fiance, whom I enjoy reading to from my books of Celtic fairy tales. This particular tale his his favorite (I can't imagine why) and so I've taken one of his standard reactions and affixed it to Mana- "Again." It was incredibly fun to re-tell the story in Jin's words, and good practice for the line of children's books my sister and I want to work on together. The Celts, particularly the Irish, had troves of stories like this one, and I was imensly pleased to be able to touch on them even a little in my writing. I will admit to having a bit of a laugh myself as I did it; the redheads are invariably the rogues in these stories, just as surely as the most cunning theives are inevitably named Jack, at least in my findings. As such, I hope you all enjoy this chapter just as much as I did.

So let's go!

* * *

"Hey, Touy?"

It was a clear day in the Makai, at least as clear a day as it ever was. Touya had been enjoying a bit of that clearness by sitting up on the roof to read. It was the easiest place to find some peace and quiet, especially when he was trying to enjoy a good book. Books were a rare treat, although less rare now that Jin had made himself a friend in the human world who loaned them out freely, and he would have liked to be letting himself drift into one of the stories he had been allowed to borrow right now, but... "Touya..." ... apparently Jin had other ideas.

The ice master set the book down, sighing. Hadn't Jin said that morning that he was going off to bother... to _visit_ Mana again? That should have meant an absence- and a period of semi-quiet- of at least a week. In other words, there was no reason the hyperactive redhead should be harassing him now. "Yes, Jin?"

"How do ya take care of a sick human?"

The swear that came to mind was a particularly harsh one Touya had once heard his old master use. "Why do you ask?"

"I went to see Mana. She's not lookin' so good." Jin actually looked concerned. "I'm thinkin' it's not a good thing when a lass like her can't even connect when she tries to hit ya, right?"

Touya cringed inwardly. "That depends. Why was she trying to hit you?" Mentally he added a silent _this time_. Mana trying to strike at Jin was nothing new...

"I was just tryin' to wake her up." Touya raised an eyebrow; the wind master was sitting on the actual roof. He _must_ have been worried... "She was sleepin' on her couch, still in her school clothes. That's not like her. So I tried wakin' her, and she took a shot at me and missed, and I was right there." The redhead frowned. "That's not like her, either, Touy. Mana's got better aim than that."

Touya stood up. Unfortunately, Jin was right. That _didn't_ sound like the human girl they knew. Grudgingly, he followed his fellow fighter back through into the ningenkai and up to the girl's apartment. Mana was sleeping on her couch, just as Jin had said. Actually, it looked more like the girl had just collapsed there to Touya; she still had her shoes on. He sighed. "You could have at least carried her into her room."

"She was takin' swings at me, though." Touya knelt down. The human healer's face was flushed across the cheeks and the bridge of the nose, but the rest of it was strangely pasty. Mana had seemed to be very pale, but this didn't look like a natural white, even for her. He sighed. She was definitely ill. Jin shifted, scratching the back of his neck as Touya gave him a _look_. "Ya want me to take her into her own room, then?"

"She'd probably be more comfortable there. Are you going to stay here?"

"Well, yeah." Jin reached down, lifting the girl up and cradling her against his chest carefully. "Who's she got to take care of her but us?"

A common misconception about ice apparitions was that they were cold blooded, not in the scientific sense of the term but with the literal definition that their blood was chilled. Many humans and other varieties of demon were surprised to brush up against an ice user and discover warmth in their skin, but the fact of the matter was that with very rare exceptions their blood did run heated. While it was true that an ice demon could survive in far colder temperatures more easily than any other kind of creature, and while it was true that many ice apparitions- Touya included- did have an average body temperature that was notably lower than that of a human or other demons, it was an untruth to suggest that their bodies were, in fact, icy.

Despite that, Touya's blood ran cold as he echoed, "Us?"

"All her friends are probably too busy with their own schoolin' if they couldn't have noticed she was feelin' so off."

Touya nodded slowly, trying his best not to chill the air around him. It was a crisp February day, cool enough outside already, and the girl probably needed warmth. He followed Jin as the redhead carried the little blonde into her room. "Is the heater running?"

"Not yet, I don't think. Knowin' Mana, she'd turn it off 'afore she left for school. Could ya turn it on for me?" Touya headed over to the small unit to flip the switch, looking up at a small noise. Mana was waking up.

The girl seemed slightly confused as she blinked sleepy eyes up at them. "Jin? Touya? Why are you here?"

"We came to visit ya!" Jin patted the blankets around her. "Only ya've gone and gotten yerself sick. Wot did ya go and do that for, eh?"

"I didn't get sick on purpose, you know." The girl sat up slowly. "Why am I in my room?"

"'Cause ya need yer rest!" Touya slipped out of the room as the healer tried to protest. He didn't think she would mind if he made some tea. Perhaps it might make her feel better as well.

Jin came out a few minutes later, as he was waiting for the water to boil. "Hey, Touy? Can ya do me a favor?"

He sighed. "What do you need?"

"Do ya think ya could find the store on yer own? I'm thinkin' she could use some medicine for that fever somethin' bad. She's been pushin' herself pretty hard for her schoolin', I think."

Touya nodded, reaching over to flip off the stove as the kettle started to whistle. "I'll need money. I don't have any on me." The redhead responded by picking up Mana's school bag and digging through it. "Jin, I don't think that's such a good idea."

"I don't think she'll be mindin' so much once she feels better." He pulled a small blue coin purse from the bag. "She needs somethin' to give her a boost, so says I. Could ya, Touy?"

"Alright..." He took the small bag, tucking it into his pocket. "I'll go."

"Good!" Jin seemed cheerful. "See, it won't be so hard to get her feelin' right again. Thanks for helpin' me, Touy."

This wasn't too strange for Jin, Touya reflected as he walked down the street. The wind master had always had a habit of looking after his comrades, at least to some extent. He wasn't the kind of person who would leave another apparition out in the cold, so to speak. But his fascination with the human was more than a little perplexing. Yes, Jin liked making friends and then harassing them endlessly afterwards, but he didn't typically try to nurture them to this extent. It was a little bit odd.

Then again, none of the friends Jin had ever made, to his knowledge, had been small little human girls. The fact that she could cook may have also been a contributing factor.

The ice master sighed, heading into the store. It was fairly easy to find the medicines; humans had signs everywhere in places like this. What proved to be a puzzle was trying to figure out what kind of medicine the girl needed. The entire aisle was nothing but box after box, each one listing different symptoms and offering a better remedy than the others. There were enough options to make a person's head spin, and Touya wondered just how the humans kept their health when one could get even more ill just looking through the options.

"Excuse me." The ice master blinked, turning towards the small woman who was addressing him. Her form was hunched and her hair was thick with wisps of white, but her eyes were aware. "Do you need some help, young man?"

_Young man?_ He was probably older than she was. But she met his odd eyes without flinching, and he liked that. "I think I might. I have a..." A what? An acquaintance? A contact? "I have a... friend... who fell very ill. We're not sure what's wrong, but she's running a high fever and seems very lethargic." The woman nodded almost dismissively, but her eyes were understanding and Touya wondered if maybe he shouldn't try to explain why he was here for the medicine. "Her father is out of town right now, so my friend and I are trying to take care of her ourselves. Neither of us is entirely sure what to do. Is there anything you could recommend?"

Gnarled old hands reached up and pulled a box off the shelf. The packaging wasn't as fancy as it was on the other medications, but she seemed confident as she handed it to him. "Forty years it's been, since I nursed my own little ones through sicknesses like that. There have been a lot of new drugs since then, but this is still the best there is." Touya studied the box curiously. Instead of capsules or pills, it contained a bottle of thick syrup. "It's not much for the taste of it, though. If I were you, I would try giving her a good strong tea afterwards, to get the taste away. Are you keeping her warm?"

Touya nodded. "We put her to bed first thing."

"Good boy." The woman's wrinkled face crinkled into a smile. "Starve a cold, feed a fever, that's what my children learned. Keep her bundled up well, and make sure she drinks plenty. There's been a nasty bug going around, but if she takes this and gets her rest she should be just fine."

"Thank you..." The ice master headed for the front counter. To his surprise, the little woman followed him and rang up the charges herself. "Do you have many children?"

"I had five myself, and then they've gone and brought me twelve grandchildren, bless their souls." She smiled. "I've even got my first great-grandchild on the way. They say it should be a boy. I certainly hope he looks after his friends as well as you do. That's rare this day and age." Touya couldn't bring himself to do more than smile vaguely. "You're a nice young man, even if you do have funny hair. You shouldn't let people talk you into doing things like that, you know. No one would know you were such a sweet boy."

He left feeling... he wasn't even sure what. The whole situation had been distinctly awkward. Sighing, he looked down at the paper bag in his hands. At the very least, he'd gotten what he'd been sent to get. He hoped Jin would be happy now. Next time he could go to the store...

The wind master looked slightly perturbed when Touya walked into the living room. "Eh, there ya are. Wot took ya so long?"

"Do you have any idea how many different kinds of medicine humans have for a single ailment?" The smaller apparition opened the bag, taking the time to read the back of the box. "Is she awake?"

"Not hardly, she isn't." He was shaking his head for emphasis. "Out like a light as soon as I had her settled, didn't even give me a chance to finish speakin' afore she was gone. Ya want me to wake her?"

"That might be a good idea." Popping the box open, Touya raised an eyebrow at the tiny plastic cup secured over the cap. Convenient. "If she takes some of this now, she can take another dose before bed tonight. We should probably keep her from going to school tomorrow, too."

Jin cringed. "Oh, Mana won't like that one bit. Are ya sure there's nothin' else we can do?"

Touya shook his head, heading into the girl's room. "Jin, couldn't you have gotten something for her to change into? Her uniform is going to get wrinkled, and it can't be comfortable."

"Only if ya want to do the changin' yerself! I'm not askin' for trouble that way!"

He gave his comrade at arms the flattest look he could without causing a chill. "I meant, couldn't you have gotten something out for her to change into herself so she wouldn't have to get up on her own."

"Oh... right."

Sometimes he wondered if Jin ever heard more than half of what was said to him as the redhead headed over to the drawers and pulled out a set of kitten pajamas. He groaned. "Jin, do I want to know why you can find things in this room that easily?"

"Em..." The wind master set the folded clothes onto the pillow next to the girl's head. "No, probably not."

"Nosey." The only reply he got was a sheepish grin. Sighing, Touya gave the girl's shoulders a small shake. "Mana." There was a soft groan. "Mana, wake up."

"What do you want?" The girl gripped her pillow, blinking at him in a tired way. Pouring the medicine into the small cup, he held it up to her. She stared at it. "What's that?"

"This should help you with your fever." The girl sat up slowly, rubbing one eye. "Drink this, and then have a bit more of your tea, okay?"

There was a trusting nod that was quickly replaced by a look of revulsion as she shoved the small, now empty cup back at him. "Where on earth did you get that? It's disgusting..."

"I'm sorry about that." He picked up the teacup, resting it in her hands and noticing that they were shaking lightly. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah..." She sipped the tea, looking over at Jin while she did. "It didn't take you three months to come back this time."

"Nope!" He reached over, ruffling the healer's hair. Touya watched, amused, as the girl wrinkled her nose. "Are ya feelin' any better yet?"

"I'll feel better once I get this taste out of my mouth..."

Touya stood then, leaving the apartment and heading up to the roof. He wasn't sure how long he'd been standing when he heard footsteps in the snow behind him. "Hey, Touya! Wot are ya doin' out here?"

"I was just thinking." The lights in the homes behind him were starting to flick on even though it was not yet twilight. "Why did you come back so soon, Jin? Why now? You waited longer last time."

"I wanted to see how she was doin', that's all." Jin trudged over to look at the cityscape next to him. "I'm thinkin', Touy, that I might just try helpin' her to train once she's well. She could use the help, by my way of thought. And besides, I like it here. Helpin' Mana, keepin' her from bein' lonely, I could really enjoy the sun."

He'd suspected Jin had been considering that idea. "I heard from Risho a few days ago. It was the same offer, as always."

The wind master nodded. "And ya told him no, right?"

The ice apparition hesitated. Jin wouldn't like this one bit... "I told him I'd think about it."

Deep blue eyes flashed. "Ya'd think about it, Touy? Wot's there to think about? We both said we weren't goin' back!"

"I know we did, but do we really have any other options? They need us there..."

"They need to stand on their own! Ya can't have forgotten what Risho did, how he acted. He let Gama's death go like it was nothin' and hit ya when ya were down!" He could feel his friend's agitation whipping up in the air around him. "Risho's nothin' to us, not from the day he left his ideals and his honor behind!"

"Jin," Touya's voice was tired, stretched almost. "I understand how you feel, but the fact of the matter is that Risho's propositions are starting to sound good. I miss home, Jin. I miss the old village. I miss the shinobi." He reached into his pocket, pulling out the pale purple medallion he still kept with him at all times; he knew, without ever actually seeing it, that Jin did the same. "This used to mean something. We worked hard to hold these in our hands. They were our badges. They stood for who we were. We promised we'd bring these to a place in the light and make it our own, didn't we? Well, I'm ready to give it another try. Maybe you're happy coming by here every month or so, playing with your new little pet human, but me... I miss feeling like I was a part of something."

Jin was silent as Touya returned the medal to his pocket. The ice apparition frowned, looking up, and immediately knew he had hit a nerve. The wind master's face was dark, his expression deeply serious as he stared off into the setting sun. Jin was usually regarded as too high-spirited, too easily able to run and laugh like a kid... but Touya had also seen this darker expression more times than he cared to count. Most people didn't even realize how quickly Jin's temper could be set off; one wrong word and he'd go from all smiles to a surly mood that, if let go, could easily permeate those around him. Touya sighed, knowing there was only one way now to get the redhead to talk. "I'm sorry. The pet comment was taking it too far, I know."

"It's not that," Jin mumbled. "It's not that and ya know it. Hell, that's almost about right, really. She's like a pet, a little diversion I can train and play with. She's fun to tease, gettin' her riled up, see if she'll hiss at me like a kitten. Fun to try and make her smile, too, see if the kitten knows how to purr. That sounds about right. She's just a pet." The wind master actually spat. "That's never been me way of thinkin' and ya know it. And this has nothin' to do with her."

"It does, and _you_ know it." Touya walked over to stand next to his friend. The redhead's expression was colder than the ice master had seen it in some time. "You're already breaking the rules to come through here and see her. And you're risking Suzuka's methods being revealed to do it. Why, Jin?"

There was a long silence before Jin sighed. "Touya..." Touya waited patiently. "Touy, do ya remember when I first came to the village?"

"How could I forget? You picked more fights than anyone I had ever met."

Jin shoved his hands in his pockets irritably. "It wasn't me pickin' those fights, Touya, it was them. They all thought I wasn't as smart or as strong as another, just 'cause I maybe talk a little bit funny to them. They picked those fights. Me, I just threw the first punches."

"And they almost threw you out on your ear." The ice master huffed softly. "What's the point, Jin?"

"That's about how it is for Mana," Jin muttered. "Yusuke and his group, they're a right enough gang. I like them. But Mana, she doesn't have the same skills as they do. She's not on they're level, and they let her know it. So wot's she do, she works harder all by herself, just tryin' to earn a little respect. And she's never gonna get it, not at this rate. She's been left too far behind. I don't like that. Feels to me like she ought to have more of a chance than that."

There was more to it than that. Touya stood in silence, looking straight ahead, and finally heard Jin sigh. "Have I ever told ya about the stories me mum used to tell me?"

"You've mentioned them a time or two, but you've never told me any." Vaguely, the ice master wondered where the redhead was going with this. Jin's mind was like a spider's web, running around in circles and sticking things together that weren't always supposed to go that way. He decided to just let the thoughts run their course. Jin had a point, even if Touya couldn't see it yet.

"Me mum, she'd tell me all the legends from old Erin. Grew up there, ya know, in the human world. I think it was comfortin' to her, tellin' the stories she'd grown up with herself. She'd tell me about giants and ogres and fairy women, king's sons and heros, brave lads and lovely princesses..." Touya raised an eyebrow at the changing tone and chanced a glance over. Sure enough, Jin was starting to smile. "The princesses, the king's daughters, they were always supposed to be the prettiest girls in the land, and they always looked just the same in me mum's stories. They were all real delicate, with pretty little hands and nice, kinda smallish feet, and they all had fair pale skin and buckets of gold curls. Mana, the first time I woke up in her house I was all in a daze, and when she came around to talk to me and I saw all that gold on her head I almost thought she looked mighty strong like one of those princesses, especially if she'd just curl her hair up a bit. I laughed at myself for it later, 'cause Mana's far too rough to be a king's daughter, and of course her eyes are all the wrong shape even if she does blush just right, but it did make me think of somethin' else."

"Something like what?" Touya was trying desperately not to imagine Jin as a boy, listening to fairy tales like that; the image was unsettling. It was almost as unsettling as the idea of the little blonde decked out in flowing robes and curls. No girl should be able to be made into a little doll like that so easily...

"Toy, how do ya think she looks to the people around her? Physical appearance and the like, ya know?"

The ice apparition blinked. What in the world... "The same way she does to us, I suppose."

"An' how's she look to ya, Touy?"

Touya thought about it. "I guess she's pretty, although it's a sickly sort of beauty. She's a modest height for her age, fairly petite, a bit frail looking if you overlook the muscle, and that's mostly too lean to really stand out anyway. She looks pale, like she spends too much time indoors. She _is_ very fair-skinned, but the undertones don't look Asian, not when she blushes, because her cheeks are just a bit too pink. Pale hair, again, it seems like it's a bit too fine to be Asian, and..." Touya trailed off for a moment, starting to see Jin's point all too clearly. "And light-colored eyes. She stands out. If it wasn't for the shape of her eyes, I'd have never guessed she was half Japanese at all. She looks like she's American or European."

"An' the lily an' the rose were fightin' in 'er face, and no sure bet as to which one would come out the winner." Touya decided not to ask. He was afraid he could guess anyway. "She looks like she doesn't belong there where she's livin'," Jin continued quietly. "And the way she acts, that doesn't help her any either. She comes out smarter and faster than the other girls her age, and they don't like that. Not out of someone that looks like she does."

Touya turned to stare openly at his old friend "You relate."

"I just think the girl deserves a chance. She's got two human friends in the whole world, and they can't do a thing to help her. She's on her own."

"You were on your own. You came out fine."

"Nah." Jin kicked at the snow before turning to head inside. "I had you. You at least kept them from throwin' me out on me head."

The ice apparition raised an eyebrow, but decided not to comment. Not on that, anyway. "So you intend to be there to give her a bit of a boost?"

"She saved me life. It's the least I can do."

Well, at least Jin seemed to be back to normal now. Touya followed after him, shoving his own hands into his pockets as well. "And it doesn't hurt, I suppose, that she first reminded you of a fairy tale princess."

"Bah!" Yes, Jin's foul mood had definitely passed. "I told ya, Touy, Irish princesses had curls!"

"Whatever you say, Jin. Whatever you say."

* * *

Sitting up in her bed with bleary eyes and her pink pajamas, Jin decided that Mana looked downright cute and about three years younger than she was. Now if she would just stay in her bed where she belonged, he'd be perfectly happy. "Jin, I'm fine. I have to go now..."

He refused to budge from where he was sitting, cross-legged, on her feet. "And I'm telling ya yer not goin' anywhere, not until that fever breaks. This isn't up for discussion, yer gonna get well!"

The look she gave him was irate enough to be worrisome. "I will shoot you if I have to, Jin."

"And that won't make me move any more than askin' me to will! Besides, I hid yer bookbag." An untruth, but she had no way of knowing that unless she got up, and he _would_ have the bag hidden before she could get to it. "Touya said he'd be workin' on makin' ya somethin' to eat, so yer gonna stay right where you are."

"Can I at least have my feet back?" He shifted, relinquishing her ankles to her, and she pulled herself into a little ball. "You don't have to do this."

"Wot, look after ya? Someone's got to!" He decided he would _not_ tell her about how the twins had stopped by that morning, intent on keeping her home themselves. She didn't need to know that everyone was out to make her miss school. It would just make her even more annoyed. "Listen, wot can I do to make ya get yer rest like a good girl?"

There was a distinctive scowl as Mana curled onto her side, peering at him from over her blankets. "You can stop talking to me like I'm a kid, for one."

"And mebe this will teach ya to not work yerself sick!" He gave her a gentle prod through the blankets. "I could tell ya a story, would that get ya to rest?"

"Maybe." He watched her shift, settling into her bed more comfortably. "What kind of story?"

Jin studied her for a moment, mulling over her hair and the conversation he'd had with Touya the day before, and then smiled. "Well, why don't I tell ya one of the stories me mother used to tell me? Did yer mother ever tell ya fairy tales as a girl, Mana?"

There was a small nod. He knew it might not be the brightest thing to do, bringing up her late parent, but maybe she had some good memories of her own that might calm her down. "She did... all the time. That's how I started to learn English..."

"And do ya think ya could understand if I told ya one in English?" There was a small nod. Jin beamed, settling more comfortably down himself. "Good. I know one, might cheer ya up a bit. I always have fun tellin' it, anyway, although I don't much get any chances to." There was another small nod. The wind master smiled to himself and started telling the story. "There once was a king, back in the old country, who had a beautiful wife. Her name was Silver-Tree. The two of them had a daughter just as beautiful as her mother, and her name was Gold-Tree. Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree used to take long walks, and one day of the days they came upon a glen with a deep well sunk in it, and in it there was a trout. Said Silver-Tree, 'Troutie, bonny little fellow, am I not the most beautiful queen in the world?'"

"Please tell me she didn't get a response to that..." Mana had one eyebrow arched delicately upwards. "You're telling me a story about a fish?"

"No, I'm tellin' ya a story about the people talkin' to the fish, and yes the fish answers her, so ya'd best not be interrupting me again. Now, Silver-Tree wasn't too please when the fish peeked up out of the water, and 'oh! Indeed you are not,' is wot he said. And then when she asked who was the most beautiful queen, the fish told her that it was her own daughter. Right then Silver-Tree decided she didn't like that, and when she went home she lay down in her bed ill and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Her husband asked her if there was anything at all that could cure her, promising to do whatever it took, and she told him she could only be saved if she had the heart and liver of their daughter, Gold-Tree, to eat."

"This sounds like Snow White," Mana mumbled sleepily. Jin blinked, reaching up to tuck her blankets around her a bit before, inspired, he ran to her father's room to get the rag doll angel from its box. The blonde stared as he tucked it onto the pillow next to her. "Jin..."

"Not a word until after I'm done with me story!" Jin settled back down where he had been sitting. "Now, the king wasn't very happy to hear this, but he did promise he'd give her anything. He couldn't bring himself to give his daughter, though, so instead he decided to play a trick. A prince's son from far abroad had come, asking to marry Gold-Tree, and now the king gave the price his daughter in secret and bade him to take her far away. Then he sent his men to the hunting-hill to fetch a goat, and had it killed and it's heart and liver cooked and given to his wife. Believing them to be from her daughter, Silver-Tree at them and rose up well again."

"They have weird names."

Jin blinked. "Yeah, some of them did, I suppose. I always thought Small-head had it a bit worse, though." Mana stared at him blankly, and he resolved to tell her that story another time. "So a year went by, and Silver-Tree went for a walk one day and found that same well. 'Troutie,' said she, 'bonny little fellow, am I not the most beautiful queen in the world?'She thought she'd get her yes this time, but 'oh! Indeed, you are not," said the trout. 'Who, then," Silver-Tree demanded, and as before the trout answered her 'why, Gold-tree, your daughter!' Silver-Tree brushed off the words of the trout, saying that it was long since her daughter was living, but the trout assured her that no, Gold-Tree was alive and well living across the sea. Silver-Tree had no choice but to believe him, 'cause of course ya must listen to a magic animal like that, and so she went home and told her husband to put the longboat in order, for she missed her daughter so. The boat was put to rights-"

"You're joking, right?" Jin tried not to laugh as Mana unconsciously gripped the rag doll with one hand. "This woman demanded that her daughter be killed so she could eat her. Isn't the king just a little bit suspicious when she asks to see her again?"

"If he was, he didn't say so. The ship was put to rights, and Silver-Tree steered it herself. When Gold-Tree saw it coming her husband was out at the hunt, and she turned to the servants for help. 'My mother is coming,' she cried, 'and she will kill me!' But the servants assured her that all would be well. They locked her in a high room so that when her mother came, she could not run to the shore to greet her. Silver-Tree pretended to be hurt by this, and asked that her daughter would at least slip her smallest finger through the keyhole in the door for her to kiss it. Gold-Tree did this, but instead of a kiss her mother put a poison stab to the finger, and Gold-Tree fell down dead. When the prince came home and found his wife dead, he was filled with sorrow. But she was so beautiful that he could not bring himself to burry her, either, and so he had her locked away where no one could get near her but him."

"Definitely Snow White." Mana snuggled down into the blankets further. "So then what happened?"

The question was asked so innocently that he couldn't help but grin. "Well, the prince remarried, and his new bride had the full run of the castle but for one room. She was always curious about what was in the room, and so one day when her husband forgot the key she snuck inside, and there she found the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen. At first she thought Gold-Tree asleep, but when she tried to wake her there was the stab in her finger. The new princess pulled the stab from her finger, curious, and Gold-Tree rose again as alive as ever. When the prince came home that night, downcast as ever, his wife asked him what gift she could give him to make him smile, and he said that nothing could make him happy save for if Gold-Tree were still alive. His wife told him 'well, you'll find her alive down in the room.' And there was rejoicing when the king saw her, for he did love her dearly. The new wife said, 'since she is the first one you had it is better for you to stick to her, and I will go away.' But the prince would hear nothing of it, for Gold-Tree did owe her life to her, and so he said that they would both stay with him."

"You're joking, right?"

"Nope!" Jin blinked thoughtfully. "Although that honestly always sounded a little shaky to me, too. I have to wonder that he didn't have other motives to wantin' two wives..."

Mana cringed. "Continue, please."

"Right." He tilted his head. "Well, they were livin' happy as they were, and a year goes by when who goes back to the well but old Silver-Tree. 'Troutie,' asks she, 'bonny little fellow, am I not the most beautiful queen in the world?'" Mana muttered something that sounded like a very soft 'again.' Jin raised an eyebrow and kept going. "'Oh,' said the trout, 'indeed you are not!'"

This time, Mana spoke a little louder. "Again."

He blinked, waiting to see if she would elaborate, but the girl fell silent once more. "And when the queen demanded to know who was, once again his answer was the same- 'why, Gold-Tree, your daughter.' And out came the truth, that Gold-Tree was alive and well once more. Well, the queen was all in a rage at this, but she hid it well and went to her husband, asking that the longboat in order so that she could see her daughter, for she did miss her so."

"Again. I'm starting to see a repetitive theme here..."

"Hug yer angel and hush." That earned him a glare, but he shrugged it off and kept talking. "Now, when Gold-Tree saw the ship coming she knew who was at the helm, and with her husband gone all she could do was cry, 'my mother is coming, and she will kill me.' But the second wife assured her that no, she would not die this day. They would go down to the shore to meet her."

"The second wife is supposed to be the smart one, right? Please tell me she has a plan."

"She did!" Jin beamed. "When Silver-Tree came ashore, she bade her daughter to come to her, saying she had a precious drink for her. But the second wife interrupted. 'It is a custom in this country,' said she, 'that the person who offers a drink take a draught of it first.' Silver-Tree raised the cup, intending to never let the liquid pass her lips, but the second wife struck the bottom hard so that some of it went down her throat, and Silver-Tree fell down dead. They had only to carry her home a dead corpse and bury her."

"And everyone lived happily ever after, right?" Jin nodded. Mana stared down at the little rag doll, running one finger along the beads. "It was like Snow White with a second wife and a much stupider father..."

Jin frowned. "I'll tell ya the story of Small-head next time, or perhaps Guleesh, and we'll see if ya don't like those more."

"I didn't say I didn't like it." The girl snuggled into her blankets. "I'm only saying that Gold-Tree's father was an idiot. The second wife was obviously the smartest one in the story. She was the only one who could think through a problem."

"I always thought the servants tried to do the best at protectin' their princess, though. They couldn't have known that Silver-Tree would get to her through the keyhole."

Mana actually half-smiled. "I think Gold-Tree took after her father on that one."

"She must have, I'm thinkin'. All beauty and no brains."

There was an actual weak giggle. "No wonder the prince liked her."

He couldn't help but laugh. "Well, that may have been part of it, I'm bettin'." He smoothed the blankets over her. "Now, why don't I go see how Touy's doin' with breakfast, eh?"

He had to try hard not to laugh as she nodded. She didn't even seem to realize she was resting her cheek on the doll...

_It took three days for Mana to recover completely. Touya actually managed to get the hang of the temperamental stove in that time, as it was quickly discovered that Jin should not be allowed to try to cook. They never did figure out the source of the billowing black clouds of smoke, but the heater in the main room had to be run over-time to make up for having to keep the balcony door wide open to get it all out. Jin told her a few more stories to keep her quiet and in bed, and seemed to enjoy it fairly well. He didn't bring up training her before they left, but Touya was fairly sure it wouldn't be long until that came up. Jin could be more patient than people gave him credit for, but that patience always had it's rather abrupt limits. And life went on..._


	20. Butterflies and Cherry Blossoms

Well, this certainly didn't make it up on time. Hello, everyone! It's Sunday night, and I finally have the new chapter done! I had a panic attack, thought I lost this one completely, but here it is and we're back to our weekly scheduling! Please don't be too mad at me!

I actually had the start of this chapter done a while ago. It took forever to figure out an occasion to use once I'd started, and I finally settled on an activity I've taken part in myself; hanami, or "flower viewing," an activity that all of Japan takes time for around April or so. It's something I've always admired, the ability of one of the busiest nations on the planet to just stop, drop everything, and bask in the beauty of nature. I myself once spent a lazy afternoon in Salem, Oregon's capital park, where there must be upwards of a hundred trees, all of which were in full bloom. I know I can't do justice to that sort of sight, but I will say this; if you ever get the chance to lie on your back under the blossoms, do it. Don't let it pass you by.

Most of you are probably familiar with the garment Mana wears in this chapter. A yukata is like a kimono, only less formal. Often made of cotton instead of silk and typically with much shorter sleeves, they're more simple, more lightweight, and can often be seen at summer festivals. Men also wear them, as Jin demonstrates, but I can hardly see him wearing one properly, can you?

Thanks so much to all of you for being patient with me durring my absence. I hope you all enjoy the chapter, if only to laugh at all that Jin puts Mana and Touya through!

And as for the final scene... well... Rizu said I couldn't kill her, so... um... so... so let's go!

* * *

One of Jin's favorite things about the human world was the sun. Touya, too, could appreciate this; the spectral world they lived in was governed by clouds, by thunder and lightning without rain, and occasionally by blank-cast skies that offered little comfort. The human sun glowing in those clear blue skies, then, held a magnetic fascination for the man who could never keep his feet on the ground, and Touya did not like to begrudge his old comrade of a chance to bask in that glow... especially not if he got some time to marvel at that ethereal blue as well. Yes, of the whole lot of them Touya thought it was himself who could understand Jin's fascination with the human world best of all. It was the fact that Jin insisted on staying with his human friend without so much as a warning that somewhat bothered him. But then, as long as the girl kept allowing hum free reign of her father's old books, he wasn't sure he was going to complain about her hospitality.

In fact, resting on the couch in the sunlight with a good book in his hands, Touya thought he might even be enjoying himself. Apparently, he was the only one.

At first the ice apparition ignored the discontented grumblings coming from the other side of the pages. The story he was involved in was part of a series; he had read the first book on their last visit, about mid-March, and been allowed to take the second back to the Makai with him. After a month of diligent waiting he was eager to start the third piece. In fact, there had been several points once he'd finished the second story that he'd contemplated coming back on his own to borrow this particular volume on the shelves, but taking advantage of the unlocked balcony and the human's kindness was something he was loathe to do... that and he rather didn't want to think about how Suzuka would respond to him using the gates for library visits. As such, what time he did have with the book was something he did _not_ want to waste.

But, as he usually did, Jin had other ideas. "Touy..."

Touya rolled his eyes and tore himself away from the absorbing pages. "Yes, Jin?"

Jin was sitting cross-legged on a cushion of air, his shoulders slumped in a sulking position. "Please tell me ya didn't come all this way just to sit with yer nose in a book."

"Maybe I did." Touya raised the tome again, deciding then and there that he was not going to listen to the wind master whine. He wanted to finish this story.

"Yer jokin', right?" Touya didn't reply. "Ya came all this way for that?" If he just focused, eventually Jin would loose interest in him and go away. There was a soft breeze, almost like a petulant sigh, that didn't quite seem to come from the open glass door. "Ya know, I shouldn't even be surprised by now."

The ice apparition focused on at least staring at the page when he agreed. "No, you shouldn't." True, Jin was bugging him a little too much for him to actually focus on the book, but if he _pretended_ to still be reading it, as he'd learned to do years ago, his friend might just be fooled...

There was a long silence, and then a single drawn-out word that made Touya wince. "Mana..." Of _course_ Jin would go start on the girl...

To his surprise, the blonde answered with a one-word reply. "Studying." Touya raised his eyes briefly. Jin had moved across the living room to try pleading with the human instead, and she hadn't even dignified him by looking up. The youthful healer's attention was locked onto the textbook in front of her, just as it had been all morning. Touya had to admire how seriously she took her schooling. Then again, human world standards were different than those of the Makai, and Japan had some of the highest standards of them all. It was practically bred into their children... for the most part.

"But ya've been studying all morning!" Sometimes, Jin's ability to complain like a child amazed him. "It's a bloody Sunday and yer gonna waste the whole thing. Look at that sky out there, it's beautiful!"

"I've got exams coming up." The blonde girl turned a page, her eyes never leaving the texts in front of her. Something else Touya could appreciate, then; she was just as good at ignoring Jin as he was. The redhead looked back towards him, but he quickly averted his eyes to his book again. There were several moments of blissful silence in which Touya actually managed to read a page and a half before Jin even spoke again...

"Ya know, there's cherry blossoms across town today. I've heard people talkin' about them bloomin' early all around. I've never seen cherry blossoms before, might like to go have a look myself."

"Mmmm. So go see them. Have fun. Stay out of trouble." The girl's tone of sheer disinterest as she made the vague commands almost made Touya laugh; he actually lowered his book again to watch the response. Jin was staring down at the human girl with a stricken expression.

"Now I _know_ yer not tellin' me to go it alone!"

"I'm busy today. You can go keep yourself amused." And then, to Touya's amazement, the girl actually raised a hand- her eyes never even left her books- and shooed Jin away like a small child. The wind master looked as though he'd been struck. Even Touya himself didn't go that far. Jin stared down at the girl for several long moments before heading for the door.

"Fine, then, that's just what I'll do. Yer a mean one, though, makin' a person go have fun all by his lonesome."

"Mmm..." Another page turned. "Don't forget your hat."

Jin whirled around then, reaching across the table, and there was nothing the young human could do but jerk her hands back before he slammed the book shut right on them. "Ya know, I think I just changed me mind. Ya can come with me after all."

"I'm trying to study!" Now it was Mana's turn to whine. Touya dropped his gaze back to his pages before the girl could look to him for help, raising them again a moment later to keep watch in amusement. "Jin, I'm serious! I've got tests coming up!"

"Yer always studyin' for one thing or another, though! Look outside, it's a beautiful day out there. I'm not gonna be lettin' ya go wastin' it." Mana flipped the book open again; Jin actually _did_ shut it on her hand this time. "Yer only young for a short while, so away from the table with ya. Go on, get up."

The girl's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Jin..."

The redhead had his hands on his hips. "I will pick ya up and carry ya if I have to."

"Fine!" The girl shoved her chair back from the table. "I'll go see the stupid flowers with you, just shut up already!"

"Good." Jin seemed pleased. "Touya can come with us, too."

Touya's eyes widened. "Now wait just a minute!"

"I'm going to go get my yukata," the human muttered as she headed for her room. "You two sort that one out on your own."

Jin watched her go, then looked back at Touya expectantly. Touya narrowed his eyes. "Give me one good reason." To his dismay, the wind master's eyes actually lit up.

"Now, see, that's what I was hoping ya'd be askin' me." With an eerie grin, the redhead walked over to the bookshelf. "Now, that book ya got there, that's the third in a series, am I right?"

"You are..."

Jin grinned even wider, pulling a tome off the shelf, and Touya realized all to fast where this was going. "An' this one here, this is book four, am I right?"

The ice master just stared. He wouldn't... but no, Touya knew good and well that he _would_. Mana's property or not, he would get rid of the book. "I despise you sometimes..."

"Good." Jin pulled his legs up, settling down to sit three feet off the ground. "Then we'll all be goin' together."

If there was any justice at all, Touya thought in defeat, then the girl would have the good sense to just lock herself in her room and spare them both...

Unfortunately, the girl didn't seem to have the same thoughts as he did. Touya stared when, about a half an hour later, she actually came out in the promised yukata. The ice apparition raised an eyebrow. The sky blue fabric suited the girl's pale complexion, he noted, as did the pattern of pink, blue, and gold butterflies. She didn't look at them; she was too busy fussing with the gold cord she was trying to wrap around her light pink obi. "Does this look right?"

"Charming," he responded, raising an eyebrow towards Jin. The redhead was staring at the girl with interest, and he followed his comrade's gaze to her feet just as Jin spoke up.

"How exactly do ya be plannin' to walk in those, Mana? They look like a pain."

The blonde looked down at the wooden sandals she was wearing. "Very carefully, thank you."

The redhead started to circle the healer. "Does everyone go gettin' dressed up for this, then?"

There was a brief instant where the girl's expression changed. Touya wasn't sure, but he thought it was a look of sorrow that flicked across her features. "No... most people just pack picnics and go see the flowers. I just like being able to wear my yukata..."

"Will we be takin' a picnic, then?"

Touya checked the page number in his book, slipping it into his back pocket. He had the feeling he was going to have very few chances to read it that day. Mana was fidgeting lightly. "We'll be able to buy one. There's one row of shops across from the park that likes to go all out for the flower viewings." The girl squeaked lightly as Jin gave her side a light prod. "What?"

"Ya got somethin' fun I could wear?"

There was a soft sigh. "I think my father may have a yukata or two that might fit. I'll go dig them out. Touya, do you want to try one? They might be a little long, but I could probably pin one for you..."

The apparition raised an eyebrow. "Thank you, but no. I'll be fine." It wouldn't do to waste any more of the morning then they already had; the longer they took, the pushier the redhead would get. Amused, he watched the girl nod. Her cheeks were actually a pale flustered pink as she headed into her father's room. Jin followed eagerly, and it wasn't even a half an hour before he emerged in a deep blue yukata, ignoring the healer's pleading attempts to fix the collar that was gaping open too far in the front; Jin had put the garment on far too loose. The ice master groaned inwardly; his friend's ears were already starting to come to a fine point. "Jin, you can't go out like that."

"And why not?" Jin pulled his hat on, settling it over his ears. "See, there's no harm there."

The healer piped in. "Touya's right. You need to calm down first. We'll wait a while, and-" Jin had that mischievous look in his eyes again as he scooped the girl up by the waist. Mana yelped as she was tossed soundly over the wind master's shoulder, almost loosing one wooden sandal in the process. "Jin! Damn it!"

Touya felt a moment of sympathy for the girl. He, too, had been victimized one too many times by what happened when Jin decided someone smaller than him needed to go somewhere...

The next thing he knew, he was being hoisted into the air by his own midsection with his friend's free arm. Without both arms to try the shouldering maneuver, the wind master just let Touya dangle. "Jin! You are not going to do this!"

Mana looked across the redhead's back at him, her arms crossed loosely as she hung there. "I say we kill him on three."

Touya grumbled. "I might have to be with you on that one."

"Oh, come on, no one's gonna be doin' any killin' today." The wind master jostled them both. "But if yer gonna be givin' me a hard time, then this is how we're goin', and no buts about it!"

"We get the point, now just..." The ice apparition blinked. "What are you doing?"

Mana's eyes were closed, one hand cupped in the other. "I'm getting ready to shoot." The human's voice was calm. Touya raised an eyebrow, now seeing the soft glow of the charging shot. "He has three seconds to put us down before I learn what happens when you shoot someone in the butt from point blank range."

"Hey! We're not havin' any of that, there! Ya put the finger gun away!" Jin's accent was edged with worry. "Yer gonna make yerself sick if ya go wastin' shots like that!"

The blonde's reply was flat. "I'm hanging here half upside down in one of the most immobilizing pieces of clothing known to man. I'm both uncomfortable and starting to get a headache. It's worth the energy."

"Em..." Jin eased them both to the ground. "Fine, then, down ya go. But we won't be dawdlin' any more!" And he was out the door before either of them could land a square hit.

Japanese street life was, Touya had to admit as they walked, somehow almost cozy in places. He liked the areas full of small shops the best, and was glad when it was one of these areas that Mana led them to. He and Jin could see immediately what she meant about the storekeepers going all out; in front of every shop was a booth set up with drinks, sweets, snack foods and easy-to-eat lunch items. And he could see why; the main attraction was greeting them from across the street as dozens of cherry tree trunks rose upwards to support floating clouds of pale, pale pink. Mana had an almost reminiscent look on her face as they stopped to stare. "I think this is one of my favorite things about this town. In most cities you have to bring lunches on your own, and the only real cherry blossom festivals are in the large parks or at palaces, but here all the small, family-owned shops are located right across the street from the park. It's almost like an excuse for a miniature festival every year."

Jin adjusted his hat lightly over his ears. "So we'll be eatin' from there, then?" Touya noted that his eyes never left the trees; he was finding it hard to look away himself. He felt the blonde girl brush past him, able to tear herself away from the sight more easily than they were. "Sounds good to me."

As much as Touya wanted to stare at the blooms, he found himself getting caught up in the throngs of people all too soon. There were enough people milling about on the sidewalks, deciding what they wanted to eat, that close attention had to be paid where one walked. Mana managed to slip through some of the cracks in the crowds, often disappearing from view completely only to reappear with some small box or bag clutched in her grip. Most of these Touya had to take, as Jin was invariably off looking at something else. Finally the girl emerged clutching a bag of drink bottles, looking rumpled. "I think that should be enough for now. Where did Jin go?"

"I'm not entirely sure." The redhead had shouted something and disappeared moments after she'd been swallowed by the throngs the last time. The two of them pushed their way away from the food vendors, finding a moment's reprieve outside a small boutique. Touya shifted the containers in his arms. "He may have headed into the park already..."

The girl muttered something soft, something that he couldn't quite catch, as she started back in through the crowds. Touya stayed close behind her, trying not to loose track of her in the masses; Mana seemed to have some idea of how to move effectively through a crowd. They had finally broken free of the sidewalks when he heard their names being shouted. "Touya! Koyama! Over here!"

The call came from in the park. Touya raised an eyebrow as he finally spotted Jin, sitting on a wide blue tarp in the midst of a familiar group. He heard Mana mutter something again... and this time he _could_ understand her, and had to raise an eyebrow for it... as she headed towards the group. "Urameshi. You found our runaway."

The spirit detective was openly staring. "You look fancy. What's the- ow. Keiko!" Even Touya had to chuckle to himself as the detective's girlfriend silenced him with one well-placed elbow. Looking around, he recognized the faces around him easily; Yusuke, Keiko, Kuwabara and Kurama, and even Kuwabara's older sister... her name escaped him for only a moment... Shizuru. Yusuke was rolling his eyes and rubbing his side. "We didn't know you guys were going to be here today. Sit down! You guys probably don't get a show like this where you come from."

"We don't." Touya settled the boxes into the middle of the circle, where the established group already had theirs. Mana settled down next to him, tucking her legs beneath her properly. "This is something altogether new to us."

"It's only going to get better from here. Yukina's on her way!!" Kuwabara was grinning in his excited way as he poked through their bags. "Hey, nice spread. We should all share, I didn't think to grab any of that..."

"That... would work." The healer sounded hesitant now, but even that seemed to fade as boxes and bags were opened and passed around. Touya looked upwards, unable to focus on feeding his stomach until he'd fed his eyes. The trunks and branches of the cherry tree above them were dark, deep brown, but the blooms... the flowers were the palest, most delicate shade of pink he had ever seen, practically white in the sunlight, coating the branches so thickly that the wood could not be seen. Even the smallest twigs were laden with the flowers, wands of pink fluff against the blue sky. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before...

* * *

"I'm thinkin' we've lost Kuwabara."

Mana looked up from what she was eating just as the ruddy-headed youth fell over onto his back on the grass. The girl next to him- she had been introduced as an ice maiden named Yukina- frowned lightly. "Oh, dear. Should we wake him up?"

"It won't do any good. Once he's gone, he's gone. Some useless brother I ended up with." That was the new acquaintance Mana still wasn't sure about; Shizuru Kuwabara, who spent most of her time leaning against the nearest tree and playing with a small cigarette lighter. As she watched, the young woman stretched one leg out and gave her younger sibling a hard kick. "See? Out like a light."

There was a soft chuckle from Kurama. "I'm amazed he can sleep with this much noise. I don't think I've ever seen this park so full before." Even Mana had to nod at that; there were more people here on this day than she thought she'd ever seen before, even during obon. One group in particular caught her eye; a large family trudged through the park, five children in tow. They saw her at the same time she saw them; Hachi raised one arm. "Mana!"

She waved, not entirely sure if she should invite the twins over or not, only for them to head over on their own. Sachiko stared around the circle on the tarp. "Whoa. What are all of you doing here?"

"We all ran into each other!" Jin's tone was cheerful. "Wot about ya, are ya stayin' around for the day?"

There was a shared glance between the twins before they both sat down. "We are now. We were actually sitting clear across the park, but Mom wanted to get away from the crowds."

Hachi nodded. "We were actually supposed to be going home. So much for that!"

Keiko actually slid over to the side. "Well, you're free to join us, then. I think we've still got plenty of snacks..." She glanced down at the bags, many of which were lying empty around the sleeping Kuwabara. "Unless he's eaten them all..."

Jin flopped down next to her as the introductions were going around; the twins were dressed in their conflicting styles again, and Hachiko and Keiko seemed to hit it off well once they realized they were wearing the exact same skirt. "Ya need to relax. Yer lookin' too tense over here."

She brushed him off as easily as she could. "I'm just fine, Jin. Don't worry about it."

"Are ya sure?" She could feel him looking her over. "I don't see how ya can sit that way for so long. Aren't yer legs gettin' sore?"

"I'm okay. I have to sit like this a lot." Actually it was rather uncomfortable on the uneven ground... Mana yelled slightly as Jin pulled on her arm, her legs flying out from under her as she forcibly shifted sideways. She landed hard on one hip. "Hey!"

"There! Now ya look more comfy!" The redhead seemed pleased with himself. Mana sighed, shifting her legs so she could actually sit up without leaning on him. The tarp crinkled under her movements, bright blue against the grass underneath it. The sky was bright, too, just not as deeply colored. Everything was so vivid. It would have been nicer if there weren't so many people around, though... Jin was looking at her now. "Ya feelin' okay, there?"

"I'm fine." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Touya pull his book out. Everyone was really starting to relax and settle; Keiko and Hachi were still chattering away and Sachi, Urameshi, and Shizuru were amusing themselves with a deck of cards... the blonde stared... and a small pile of coins. Of course. Sachi always made friends with the strangest people. Sighing, the healer looked up at the clouds of petals above her. At least the view was peaceful.

The next thing she knew, she was jarred awake by her own body slipping sideways. Jin stared down at her in amusement as she blinked. "Ya just can't stay awake when things get quiet, can ya, Mana?"

"Um..." Well, if things were quiet before, they weren't now. Mana felt her face flush as Urameshi and Sachi both started to laugh. Damn it...

Jin patted her on the shoulder. "See, that should tell ya yer workin' too hard. Ya need to take more breaks and not run yer brain so much, and then ya'd be able to stay awake, so says I. Ya'd be fallin' asleep in yer books right now if ya were still home."

She felt her cheeks getting darker as she sat back up, keeping her voice down to a low hiss. "Could you please stop it? You're embarrassing me..." Big blue eyes blinked at her, the picture of innocence. The blonde sighed. "You're impossible sometimes."

The apparition seemed completely undaunted as Shizuru tossed a can into one of the empty bags. "Someone needs to make another snack run. We're out of drinks."

Keiko managed to get to her feet before Mana could, blessedly unhindered by a long, impractically-wrapped skirt. Urameshi looked over at her with interest once his girlfriend was out of earshot. "So how come you're wearing that thing, anyway?"

The healer sighed and looked down at herself. Of course he'd ask as soon as Keiko's back was turned. Running one finger along the wings of one of the butterflies, she observed the way her ankles peeked out from under it a little too much. She was going to have to let one of the hems out again. "I just like wearing it, that's all."

"Yeah, but for cherry blossoms? That's kind of weird."

She felt her cheeks start to burn again. "Not really. There are people who wear yukata all the time. I think there's nothing wrong with it if I feel like wearing mine."

"Okay, okay, yeesh. I get it." The detective stared down at the hand of cards he'd just been delt. "Are you sure you're not stacking this deck somehow?"

A slight "tee hee" was Sachiko's only reply.

Kurama had to leave soon after, apologizing before he went and explaining that "Shuichi" had promised to spend some time with his family that day. Mana felt herself wanting to doze again as the sun shone down through the petals, but she forced herself to stay awake. Sachiko was pulling every card trick she knew, especially once Kuwabara woke up. Mana waited patiently for the boys to realize that the girl was occasionally dealing from the bottom of the deck, but they never seemed to catch on. She thought Shizuru might have caught on, but the woman never said a word about it, only laughed as her brother finally admitted to being broke. The blonde sighed. She was going to have to scold her friend later. And yet... it was kind of fun to watch...

They parted ways as the sun was setting, breaking off into pairs or groups of three and heading off in their different directions. The day honestly hadn't been as bad as she'd feared when they'd first run into Urameshi's group. Sure, the detective had annoyed her, but she was starting to like some of his friends. Maybe... maybe if they kept running into each other like this, with other people to act as a buffer, things wouldn't be so bad trying to work with him in the future? Mana shook herself lightly. That was not likely at all. Not likely, but she could still hope...

* * *

The afternoon was bright, beautiful, and breezy, and Jin would have been spending it outdoors if this photo album hadn't been so interesting. He heard Touya come in to put his new book away, but didn't look up from the picture he was chuckling over. There was a sigh. "Jin, what are you doing?"

"Come over here and look at this, would ya?" There was another sigh, and after a moment he felt Touya lean over his shoulder as he sat cross-legged on the floor. The picture was one he'd found flipping through the book after finding it resting on Mana's pillow that morning. The picture he'd found that amused him so much was one of Mana and her mother when she was about four or five. It was the same time of year that it was now, as made clear by the heavily-pinked branches of the cherry trees above them. Mana's head was a mess of fine gold curls pulled up into pigtails, and Jennifer was laughing as her daughter blew a petal into her face. "Would ya look at that?"

It only took Touya a moment to see what he'd seen already. "That's the same as the yukata she was wearing yesterday."

"Yep. Same colors, same pattern. I'm bettin' it's the same one." The light blue fabric suited the healthy, cheerful glow of the woman in the picture, the butterflies as light and carefree as her smile. "I'm thinkin' that's why she got so defensive of it yesterday. She wears it for her mother..."

Touya was about to speak when they heard footsteps coming up the stairwell. Jin stared; Mana was actually smiling on her own and humming to boot when she came into the room from the balcony doors. "Hello!"

They both stared, neither one sure what to say. The girl seemed downright _happy_. "Em... in a good mood today, Mana?"

"You could say that!" The blonde kicked off her shoes, humming. Jin shared a glance with Touya. Something was not right.

Touya cleared his throat. "Did something good happen at school?"

"Yep!" Jin could never recall her using that word before. She was openly smiling as she looked up at them. "Yuki got in an accident yesterday! She won't be in school for at least a couple of weeks, probably closer to a month!"

Jin actually thought he felt a chill that wasn't coming from the ice apparition standing next to him. Mana tossed her book bag onto the couch and headed into the kitchen for a snack. He couldn't even tear his eyes away from her cheerful expression long enough to see how Touya was reacting. Finally, he cleared his own throat. "Yer... yer not always the nicest person, are ya, Mana?"

If anything, the fact that she actually _laughed_ only scared him more...


	21. Let the Training Begin!

Hi, everyone! Well, it's taken me a while to get into the swing of things, but here we go! I'm back to my usual writing schedule, so chapters should be coming out every Saturday again! In fact, this WOULD have been up yesterday if certain sites hadn't been having problems, but hey, it gave me some time to polish this up, right?

A huge thanks, right off the bat today, to all of my readers. You've all been super-patient with me the past couple of months, and I love you all to death for it. Now that I've got the wind back in my sails we should see weekly updates again! Also, please do not blame me for that horrible, horrible pun. It was not my idea. Thank you. I will do everything I can to earn the (gasp) two hundred and fifty reviews this story has already received! I've been staring at that number for a while now, just in shock. A HUGE thanks to you all!

So, the chapter itself! We've got a bit of an education for you this time around. First of all, Golden Week is a major holiday week in Japan, so we have a small crash course as to what the different days are. And then we have a small study in Japanese cuisine, mostly because the banter it led to amused me. Either way, hopefully you'll come out of this having learned something new, and if you didn't, read as already knew all this stuff, could you please help me with my research?

Also, something I know you've all been looking forward to. We finally get a sneak peek at the most prominent of Mana's new weapons! Unfortunately, it still has some minor issues with exploding. Suzuka, make a nice, normal staff weapon? Heavens forbid! We'll even see a brief introduction to Chu and Rinku in this chapter, with just the slightest hint of further mischief in the future. Mana's finally getting the training she needs, and Jin has some interesting methods of encouragement. Major, MAJOR kudos to anyone who can find the video game reference in this chapter. I won't tell you the series it's from, so you're going to have to think on this one! You're one clue? It's from the sixth game in an installment that's only a small part of a much larger series! It was one of those things that I saw and just couldn't resist. Look hard! So let's go!

* * *

Mana never knew exactly what to do with herself on April twenty-ninth. It wasn't like she was that far into the new school year, there were no big projects or exams she could study for, there was nowhere she felt like going, there was just... nothing to do. The girl sighed. For a fleeting second she considered visiting Keiko; she had actually found she missed the older girl once the new school year started and she didn't see her in the halls any more. School had actually felt safer with Keiko around. It even felt strange going up onto the roof and not having to sit at one end. It felt... awkward, like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop, or at least for the door to open. Kind of like April twenty-ninth, actually...

She rolled onto her back where she was sprawled on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. She'd gotten up, showered, gotten dressed, even spent some time fiddling with hair clips, and she didn't even have anywhere to go. It had just been a way to pass part of the morning. And she would do it the next day, and the next, all through Golden Week, if she didn't think of something to do...

A soft tapping on the glass door made her sit up. Jumping up to unlock it, she greeted the redhead with the first thing she could think of. "You know, I'm actually really glad to see you."

"Good to know!" Jin ruffled her hair, making her cringe. So much for her hairclips... "Hey, ya think ya could wear some outdoorsy clothes and come with me? Suzuka's got something for ya I'm thinkin' ya might like."

The healer stared blankly at him for a moment before nodding. "How outdoorsy did you have in mind?"

"We're goin' out to the woods today!" Mana nodded slightly, waiting until he left the room to change into a denim skirt and the plain white t-shirt she usually wore under her gi for karate. She could bleach that, if she needed to. Jin was actually sitting on the balcony railing when she stepped out of her room with her hair up in a ponytail. He beamed. "Suzuka's been workin' on this for a while now. We're thinkin' it might do ya more than a bit of good. I got followed through again, hopin' ya don't mind." She must have made a face, because he continued very quickly. "They're not stayin' or nothin', just wanted to look around. That's ahright, isn't it?" The girl nodded hesitantly again. "Good! Come on, then, let's get goin'!"

There was a wide grin on the apparition's face as he headed for the stairs. Mana pushed past, jumping across first. She wasn't going to take any chances. Honestly, she felt just a little bit excited as she headed down the steps. Finally, there was something to actually do. Jin seemed to be his normal, easily excited self as they walked through town. It was almost kind of comforting to know that she wouldn't be spending the next week on her own. She never did know what to do with herself during Golden Week...

Suzuka was waiting in the woods... and he wasn't alone. Mana stared at the hulking behemoth of a man that turned to wave as they walked up. "'ey, Jin! Is that the little sheila you keep talking about?"

"Yep!" Jin grinned. "Mana, meet Chu and Rinku. They're friends of mine! Just watch out for Chu, he's nine times of ten pretty close to blotto."

He meant the big guy... right? But where... the voice cut in from around the area of Chu's upper thighs; she hadn't even seen the boy standing right behind the man. "She doesn't look like much to me. She's just a kid!"

Mana felt her cheeks start to burn, right up until Jin rested a hand on her shoulder. "And yer no better, so don't ya forget it! Don't pay Rinku any mind when he starts talkin' like that, Mana. He acts rough, but he's a good kid."

She nodded, half numb, and was just starting to wonder what she'd gotten herself into when Suzuka cleared his throat. "Miss Mana. You were looking for a weapon you could use with your energy, right?" The healer nodded, feeling slightly perturbed. The apparition didn't seem to notice as he tossed a small silver cylinder at her. Mana caught it curiously. It wasn't too much longer than her own hand.

"What is it?"

"Right now, it's absolutely nothing. Once you put a bit of energy into it, then it becomes useful." The motion he made with his hand struck Mana as lightly absurd. "Hold it away from your body, and whatever you do, don't point either end at you, alright?"

"Right..." Mana examined the cylinder doubtfully before holding it out in front of her. Manipulating energy was easy, with a bit of practice; she just had to pool it the same way she did to fire her spirit gun, and pass it into the item in her hand instead. There was a soft hissing noise before either end of the cylinder shot outwards, and Mana found herself holding a long silver pole. She stared at it. "Wow... how did you do this?"

"That's just one of my many secrets. Just try not to drop it until you've got a bit of practice with it. It should revert once your energy is pulled from it."

Mana nodded, giving the staff an experimental twirl. As it passed between her hands, she heard another soft hiss, and then a yelp from Jin. "Eh! Watch where yer swingin' that!" She stopped, and stared. Suzuka frowned.

"Maybe I should put some sort of marks on the proper points..."

The twin blades curved brightly in the light. Mana frowned, reaching to tap at one, when the whole thing snapped back down into a cylinder in her hand. "Hey! What was that?"

The demon was grinning. "That would be a little something extra. It took a lot of trial and error, but it seemed like it could be useful." Frowning lightly, Mana tried to extend the staff again. It slid out with a soft whoosh. Now, what had she done to make those blades pop out? The next thing she knew, there was a hand over hers. "I wouldn't quite do that. It can be rather volatile if you're not used to it."

Mana did not like that word. Volatile was not a word for something with blades on it. "What else does it do that you haven't told me about?"

Suzuka plucked the staff out of her hands; she almost felt the urge to giggle when it collapsed and fell onto the ground. Clearing his throat, he picked it back up and extended it. "Observe." His thumb shifted, and the twin blades flicked out the ends again. "Now, you might want to stand back for this. It can still get a little unruly."

"Says the guy who set his room on fire twice working on it." Mana stepped back, far back, as Rinku started to mouth off again. "You'd better watch yourself, lady. He'll blow things up on you if you're not careful."

"Just ignore him." Mana nodded, backing away further as Suzuka rolled the scythe between his hands again. "It always helps to have one or two tricks up your sleeves. Observe."

And that was about when one end of the staff exploded. Mana jumped back with a yelp as Rinku crowed. "See? I told you he'd blow it up!"

Suzuka seemed perturbed, but hardly daunted. "I'm afraid it still does that from time to time. It's not fully stable yet, you see. It took me some time to figure out how to make the incendiaries work, and they're still a little touchy. But once it's stable, would you be interested in making a trade?"

The healer frowned. A trade? "I guess that depends on what you're talking about, right? What is it that you want?"

"That's a very good question." His smile was starting to annoy her. "From what I understand, you know a rather interesting technique. I'm something of a collector; I know a thousand different moves to date, and I'm always searching for more. I could make you weapons if you teach me that feeding technique of yours. How does that sound?"

Jin was nodding at her. Mana sighed. "Fine. But I want to be sure that works before I teach you anything, so you'd better be sure there's no more exploding."

"Deal!" The blonde fighter swept into a low bow. "On my work, we'll-"

"Oh, would ya cut the theatrics already? Yer not impressin' anyone with all the hoity-toity!" Jin reached over, knuckling the other apparition on the head. "Ya been workin' on that thing for how long now?"

"Watch the hair, please!" Suzuka shoved away from the redhead. "If you'll excuse me, I think I can have this fixed in just a few days. Will that be convenient?"

"Ah... sure. That sounds fine." Mana shifted lightly, blinking as Rinku pulled a yoyo out of his pocket and started to play with it. Up, down, up, down, up, down... right at the edge of her vision. It was very distracting... "But what exactly were you trying to do when it... ah..." Up, down, up, down, and the healer lost her train of thought. "Um..."

"Simply put, I was igniting the ends. You see, there's a special incendiary tube running along the length of the pole. The flame ejects from either end. It gives the fire scythe a special little edge, the element of surprise, so to speak."

"Of course." He was insane, he had to be. At the same time, Mana couldn't help but want the weapon. Something that versatile, that ran off of so little energy, could be exactly the edge she needed. "Okay, then. You get it working, and I'll teach you my technique. But is there any way you could make it work just a little easier?"

The demon heaved a sigh. "Well, I suppose there are always buttons..."

Chu and Rinku, to her relief, didn't hang around for long once Suzuka had left. Mana still wasn't sure what she thought of either of them, with Rinku's attitude and Chu's... odor. Jin patted her on the shoulder once they were alone. "Don't ya worry about old Suzuka's inventions, eh? They're usually pretty reliable, once he gets them past the explodin' stages."

"Right." She looked up at him; he seemed to be in a good mood, as always. "So did you just come here for that, or are you going to stay and visit for a while?"

"I thought I might visit ya!" He ruffled her bangs, chuckling as she pulled away. "I brought ya a present this time, too. But ya gotta work hard if ya want it! That's wot I'm here for now, to help ya get stronger. Ya think ya can do that?"

She nodded slowly, trying to digest what he'd actually said. "So you're going to help me practice?"

The apparition wrinkled his nose. "Mana, practice is for kids playin' games. Wot ya need is to train. It's two different ways of lookin' at things. Ya gotta think bigger than that."

She nodded again, feeling a slight sting in her own eyes. "Thank you..." The redhead just mussed with her hair again. "I mean it, Jin. Thanks..."

He only laughed in reply.

* * *

If there was one thing he could say for Mana's fighting abilities after taking an afternoon to watch her work, it was that the girl had good reflexes. Her power was lacking, but her speed was good, and the reflexes were definitely there. Jin frowned lightly. Honestly, those were exactly the skills a fighter developed when they weren't that strong, but to have developed them this far she had to have a lot more potential than she realized. He'd done her exercises with her, and she'd kept up fairly well. "Oi, Mana!"

The girl lowered the wooden staff she'd been using. The girl had her hair pulled up in a loose bun, but there were wisps of it escaping around her face now. "Yes?"

"Ya been learning to do that for a while now, right? The fightin', I mean?"

"Yeah, since I was a little girl." The little healer pushed her bangs back from her face. "My mother signed me up for classes pretty early, and I've been doing it ever since."

"Do ya ever have a hard time against the other students?"

She tilted her head. "It depends on the students. There are a few kids in my class who are a level above me, and I can't really seem to touch them, but against everyone else I'm pretty evenly matched, or a little better. By the time you get to the level we're at, it's usually fairly balanced out."

"Yer talkin' like someone who's bein' modest. How much of yer class can ya beat easy?"

Mana sighed. "More than half, less than three quarters."

"Ahright, then, we're gonna get ya to three quarters. That sounds like a good, solid goal for now." The girl gave him a blank look; he just smiled. "We gotta start out in little steps, ya know. Ya can't get stronger over night."

"I know that." There was a soft sigh, one that made him want to ruffle at her hair again. "But I've been working with this group for a few years now, and there's a pretty set hierarchy. It's not going to be easy to upset it. You're underestimating how much pride some of these students have."

"Nah, I'm just accounting for how stubborn ya are!" That did it, the way she wrinkled her nose was too much. He ruffled her hair, throwing the strays around a bit with his fingers. "I'll tell ya wot, if ya work with me on this, I'll give ya yer present early, okay?"

She stared up at him with a wary expression. "What kind of a present is this, exactly?"

"Somethin' cute. Just trust me, okay?" He pulled his hand back before she did something drastic; she looked ready to go for his elbow. "Work with me until yer next class and we'll see if yer not at least a little more confident."

"Right." The girl turned the wooden staff she was carrying over in her hands. "I guess I can do that."

"Good." He gave her a bright smile. "Then let's see how well ya can land a punch." He received a doubtful look. "Come on, Mana, see if ya can land one hit, eh?"

By the time they left the park for dinner that night, Mana seemed visibly frustrated. Jin frowned to himself. It wasn't that he'd been going particularly hard on her, he just hadn't been going easy... and the girl hadn't been able to land a single punch. She sighed as they walked, pushing her bangs back from her face. "Do you mind if we eat out tonight?"

"Not a problem." It was kind of funny how no one tried to move out of her way with that big stick in her hands. It just didn't seem like that big a deal to any of the people on the street. They were all too busy going their own ways. Humans, he decided for what wasn't the first time, didn't pay enough attention to the world around them. Although, now that he thought about it, he wasn't seeing quite as many business suits as usual. "Hey, wot's everything seem so busy for today?"

"Today? Today is the start of Golden Week." Lavender eyes glanced up at him. "You don't know what that is, do you?"

"Not a clue." He gave her a hopeful look as she pushed open the door to a restaurant. The place was busy, and they were lucky there were any seats open. Within moments Jin found himself tucked in the corner at a small table for two as a waitress who seemed to have been working too hard set down menus without a word. "Explain it to me?"

The girl sighed lightly. "Golden week is a series of holidays here in Japan. Today is Showa no hi, or Showa's day, which honors the birthday of old Emperor Showa. Until a couple of years ago they celebrated midori no hi on this date instead. April thirtieth and May first and second aren't holidays, but May third is kenpo kinenbi, which is the day we celebrate the constitution of nineteen forty-seven on. Midori no hi is on the fourth now. Greenery day used to be on Showa's birthday, because he loved nature so much. Before the dates were switched, May fourth was considered a holiday because May third and fifth are both holidays."

Jin blinked. "That's a funny idea."

"I think it's a way to get a free day of leisure in there. Kodomo no hi is on the fifth, by the way. That's children's day, when they hold the boy's festivals."

The redhead stared. "And all of that is in one week?"

"Yeah. Since three days are not considered holidays, most adults have to work for them, but schools close for the entire week and mostly everyone gets the last three off. This place will start emptying out by tomorrow because everyone will be making plans to take trips and go sightseeing. It's a major travel period, probably the biggest one here aside from New Years and Obon week."

"Ah." Jin thought about that for a minute. "How come there's only a boy's festival?"

Mana rolled her eyes. "There's not. The hina matsuri activities are held on March third. That's girl's day, when the doll festivals are."

"That's a lot to remember." Honestly, the wind master wasn't even sure he remembered all of it, and he'd just heard it. Across the table, the healer sighed lightly.

"Stay here for a week, I guarantee you'll remember it next year."

"Okay!" That was the second time he could recall her actually inviting him to stay. Beaming, he picked up his menu. "Wot do ya think yer gonna have?"

"I have no idea. It's too warm out for a hot pot meal, so I'll probably have a domburi bowl and some korroke..." She looked up, catching the blank stare he was giving her, and rolled her eyes again. "You have no idea what I just said, do you?"

"Mana, when we go out to eat, I very seldom do until whatever yer getting' actually gets to the table. It just happens that today yer talking about more than one thing that I don't know about."

"Which explains why you never order anything new. Domburi is a rice bowl with some sort of topping. I want tempura today, I think. And korroke are croquettes, basically." He kept giving her the blank look and was finally rewarded with another sigh and an explanation. "Breaded and fried patties made of minced meat and potatoes. They're not traditional or anything, they're just good."

"Now see, that's talkin' about food in a way I can understand."

The healer raised an eyebrow and moved the end of her staff farther out of the aisle. "And yet you're still going to order the same thing you always do, aren't you, because I notice you didn't stop to look at the displays this time."

"Em..." Jin frowned at the menu. "How about ya order somethin' for me?"

"Fine. Katsu kare it is." She answered before he could ask, "Curry and rice, you've had that at my house, with fried pork cutlets. I can trade you some korroke for a piece of tonkatsu."

"Ya know, I'm startin' to think ya should go into cookin' as a career. Ya know too much about food. Or maybe ya should just go into hostess work in general, yer good enough at it."

"Mm, of course, it's always been my dream to open an elaborate Japanese hot springs resort and serve fancy home-cooked meals in an impractical kimono." The girl blinked at the look he was giving her. "What? I was assuming you were using the innocent definition of hostess."

"It's not that." He grinned in spite of herself. "It's two things. First of all, yer funny when yer bein' sarcastic, but ya do it a little too well for a girl yer age. And second, I think that suits you."

The girl's expression was flat as she stared at him for a good half a minute before speaking. "Jin, you're an idiot."

He laughed. "Say wot ya will, it still works for ya. And if anyone gave ya a lick of trouble, ya could throw 'em out right on their ears!"

"I hate you sometimes." The girl let him laugh as she made their orders, settling back into her seat once the waitress had left. "I really do."

Oh, now he had to tease. "Just think, ya could always work in the kitchen when ya don't feel like dealin' with people."

"And you expect me to cook breakfast for you in the morning?"

He couldn't stop himself. "Well, it would mean havin' a bigger place to stay when I come visit."

The girl stared at him blankly for several moments before calmly reaching over and picking up her chopsticks with one hand. Jin swallowed. "Wot are ya gonna do with those?" She twirled one in her fingers for a moment, eyeing him critically. "Mana, I don't like the way yer lookin' at me." There was still no answer... and then he felt the bolt on his knee. The apparition jumped, almost shaking the whole table. "Ow! Mana!"

The girl was smirking as she drew her hand up from where he thought it had been simply resting in her lap. "You deserved that."

"That's not right! Ya distracted me with yer other hand?" Her smirk widened. "And besides, ya can't go wastin' shots like that, ya might get sick again!"

"If I do, it was worth it."

"Ya can't go doin' that under a table to a guy, though. Ya could do some serious property damage!" The girl's eyes went wide, and then she lowered her head to the table, her shoulders shaking. He gaped. "Ya cannot be thinkin' that's funny."

"I'm sorry..." She sounded like she was hiccupping the way she gasped. "I'm sorry... it's how you worded that... I'm sorry..."

He gave her the most blatantly unimpressed look he could. "I'm startin' to think ya got a serious sadistic streak, ya know that?"

"Ah, maybe I do." She sat up, still silently laughing. "It's just how you worded that..."

"I was tryin' to be polite about it!" He reached across the small table, rapping her lightly on the head. "Brat!"

The girl actually stuck her tongue out at him. Honestly, he was so caught off guard that he couldn't think of a reply until a couple bowls of miso soup were set in front of them. "Ya know, I'd tell ya to act yer age except then ya'd probably do that again."

"Oh, hush." The girl bent over her soup, sipping it straight from the bowl and using her chopsticks to guide the pieces of tofu and seaweed. He saw why as he turned to his own bowl; they hadn't been given spoons. Mana was quiet as she drank her soup; he let her remain that way until their actual meals arrived before kicking her lightly under the table. She stared. "What was that for?"

"Just taggin' ya back for shootin' me." The little blonde rolled her eyes as she munched on one of her little korroke things. "We'll be able to head back to the woods tomorrow, right? Ya still have to land a hit afore ya get yer present."

"Whatever." She tried to sound disinterested, but he saw her stance shift just a little. She had to be curious by now. "You're awfully fast, though."

"That's cause yer too easy to move around. Ya need to work on that a bit, I'm thinkin'." He pointed a chopstick at her. "It's not that yer slow or anything' like that. But as long as I been fightin' I can see where yer comin' from. If yer gonna be fightin' folk like me, folk who have a bit more experience, yer gonna want a method that isn't so clean and easy to read."

The girl's cheeks were lightly pink. "Don't you think I try to do that? We've worked on that in class practically since day one. The teacher is always calling people on it and telling them how to move. That's why I do as well as I do, I'm one of the ones who listens."

"But have ya ever really fought someone outside yer own level before?" The girl shook her head quietly. Jin nodded, more to himself than anything. "I didn't think ya had. Some things, Mana, ya can't learn from a teacher. Ya gotta go by what ya feel here..." He motioned to his own chest... "and here. Yer heart and yer gut. Sometimes ya gotta let go of wot some teacher is tellin' ya and figure out what it is ya do best for yerself."

"That's easy enough for you to say." Mana heaved a little sigh. "I'll give it a shot, though."

"Atta girl." He grinned across the table at her. "I bet yer gonna do just fine."

She fell asleep before he did that night, sitting on the couch and listening to him laugh at a bad movie. It amused him that Mana still had such a childlike quality as being able to drop off to sleep at a moment's notice that way; her body seemed to decide on it's own when she'd pushed her limits, and responded accordingly. It was something that, in his experience, children seemed to do more than adults. Well, the apparition reflected, he had pushed her kind of hard that day. Although recalling how they'd met, it wasn't as hard as she usually pushed herself. He sighed lightly, carrying her to her room. The girl was trying as hard as she could try on her own. He had to find a way to help her make it work.

The problem was, it still wasn't working the next afternoon. Back in the woods, Mana actually plunked down onto the ground, looking up at him with heavy eyes. "I need a breather."

He nodded, sitting down next to her. "Ya feelin' okay there? Yer face is red."

"I'm fine." Listening to her breathe, he thought half-exhausted was more like it. "You're a lot faster than I am."

He reached over and ruffled her hair. "Ya shouldn't worry about that. Just keep looking for an opening, I bet ya can do it."

She gave him her standard flat stare. "Does it count if I lean over and smack you right now?"

"Nope!" he laughed, pulling his hand back so he could fold his arms behind his head and flop backwards into the tall grass properly. Mana remained sitting up beside him. "Hey, Mana?"

"Hmm?" The girl's face was turned upwards, watching the clouds. There were a couple of them scattered in the big blue sky. Her eyes looked far away. "What is it?"

"Do ya enjoy gettin' visits like this?" He had found at times that he had to wonder. He knew that on some level she appreciated the company, but there were also times when he wondered if she wasn't just a little too overwhelmed to realize it.

The girl was chewing on her lip thoughtfully. After a moment, she actually fell down onto her back herself. "Yeah... I guess I do..."

"Good." There, as long as she could admit it he was happy. "Hey, Mana, wot's yer goal in life after yer done with detective work? Ya can't do that forever, right?"

"Mm, not really." The girl ran her hand through the grass in an idle way. "Well, I plan on going to high school and then studying business in university, like my father. With his credentials, I would actually have a pretty good chance at getting a starting position in the company he works for. From there I can pretty much go anywhere I want, Europe or North America or other places like that. I'll have the degree and the experience to see the whole world."

Jin frowned. "The travelin' part sounds fun, but ya know that's gonna make ya a pain in the backside to find, right?"

"Well... maybe..." There was a moment of silence before she continued. "Honestly, I didn't think that would matter much."

Now _that_ annoyed him. Jin rolled onto his side, giving the healer a sharp jab to the side. "Now that's just not fair! Of course it's goin' to matter. Wot about the twins, are they gonna have to look for ya, too?"

"It's not like I won't leave a forwarding address..." The blonde bit her lip again. 'I just never thought it would be a big deal."

"Yer not alone in the world, ya know." She sat up then. Jin sighed, pushing himself up to sit next to her. "Ya ready to start again?"

"I guess." She didn't sound even half-convinced. Jin tilted his head as she stood, pushing her bangs back from her face. "You're a lot faster than I am, though." The wind master brushed his pants off as he stood, eyeing her. Maybe it was time for a new method of motivation. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out one of the small objects he'd been carrying with him for a couple days now and pushed it into her hair. Mana blinked. "What did you just do?"

"Why don't ya have a look at it and see?" He beamed as she pulled the clip out of her hair. He'd thought of that picnic in the cherry blossoms the moment he'd seen it; the large butterfly, its open wings a gentle shade pink with gold edging, had looked too much like the ones on her yukata to pass up. Mana turned it over in her hands; it was about the size of her palms.

Finally, she looked up at him. "It's really pretty, but it's too big to wear just one. I need another for the other side..."

"That's why ya have to earn the other one!" He gave her a bright smile. "That way ya know what yer workin' for, okay? I bet ya can get it if ya try."

The healer put the clip back in her hair, tilting her head slightly. "It even feels lopsided all alone there. I probably look funny."

"Then I'd guess ya'd better work hard for the other!"

To his surprise, she actually started to smile slightly. "Alright. I think I can do that."

"Good." He gave her hair a ruffle, careful not to disturb the clip. "Then let's see wot ya got this time!"

She didn't land a hit that day, but she did seem to have been moving faster than she was before. Even more importantly, Jin decided, was the fact that he caught her looking at her reflection in a window on the way home, a tiny smile on her face. If that was the result he got, he was going to have to bring her butterflies more often. He just had to hope she didn't ask how he got the money for them. Even he didn't want to know where Rinku had lifted that wallet from...


	22. Try, Try Again

I may be a couple hours late, but damn it, it's Saturday still where I live and I have updated! Ha!

Short chapter this week around, folks, and there is a reason; I have a fun scene planned, but it would have made the current chapter run far too long, so I compensated by amusing myself with Chu and Jin. I'm still not entirely comfortable or confident as to Chu's character, but as long as I can picture the voice in my head I think I'll be okay. Rinku, on the other hand, is almost too easy and too much fun. The boy is a sass; in season three, there's a scene when he puts Jin and Chu both down pretty hard at the Dark Tournament. Jin, Touya, Chu, and Rinku are all like that, actually. When Touya comments "Nice one, Rinku" Jin shoots a comeback that burns pretty badly, right at his own teammate. They're all trash-talkers, but Rinku can be downright cold sometimes. I tried to remember that entire scene when writing some of mine today. I think it came out well.

A huge thanks to all my readers and reviewers for your continued support and feedback. It really helps me keep going knowing that someone out there is reading. I love hearing what you think of my chapters, my characters, and the way I portray the cannon characters that I use. Let me know! Every review in my inbox makes me smile that much more!

Anyway, there's not much else to say beyond that. Short chapter this week in favor of something fun next week. So let's go!  


* * *

There were some days when Mana was really, really thankful for the existence of bleach. This was definitely one of those days. Sighing, the girl examined the grass stain on the side of her denim skirt. She should just start wearing white at this rate; even when she missed Jin entirely she seemed to be loosing her balance. She thought it was the fact that he never stopped talking; he was throwing her off. Or maybe it was the fact that he just seemed to know which way she was coming from. She sighed, flicking at the grass with one finger. She still hadn't gotten that other butterfly.

The next thing she was aware of was the can of tea being dangled in front of her face. She stared at it a moment before reaching up to take it. Jin grinned at her. "Ya looked like ya could use somethin' cold. Yer getting' better out there."

She stared at the circle of grass that they'd managed to tramp flat with two and a half days of training. Jin had called for a break when she'd thrown her staff at him; she had been close, so close, and he had shot up into the air at the last moment. He'd apologized, promising not to do it again, but she'd still give him the silent treatment. As such, she took the can without a word, only speaking once she'd gotten a good look at it and using as little speech as she could. "Thanks."

He smiled brightly as he set next to her... a good six inches off the ground. She could actually feel the breeze coming from around him. "See, this'll make ya feel a bit better, won't it?" Mana scowled lightly as she tried to pry the can open, only to find herself almost knocked onto her side as Jin prodded her in the side. "Hey, now, don't go givin' a guy the cold shoulder that easily. It isn't right of ya."

She scowled at him. "You cheated."

The redhead cringed. "Yeah, I'm sorry bout that. Force of habit, ya know? But Mana, yer gettin' better at this..."

She allowed herself to at least give him a look of reproach. "You still cheated."

The apparition sighed. "Fine, then. Ya want the butterfly now, ya can have it."

The blonde shook her head as he reached into his pocket. "Nope. I haven't earned it yet. You might still have gotten away, so I can't take the clip."

"Oh, now yer just bein' difficult." Jin gave her another poke in the side and then, to her dismay, slung an arm over her shoulders. "Come on, yer just doin' this to be down. Don't be like that!"

"Fine. If I drink the tea, will you let go of me?"

There was a sigh and then- and she knew it was coming- a pat on her head. "Mana, ya really need to learn how to deal with people better."

She quickly took a drink. It would be better if she didn't comment on that one at all...

An hour later, they still weren't making much progress in the training. Mana bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, shifting just enough to keep herself moving. Jin, meanwhile, was about two inches off the ground, his own little alternative to the constant motion that supposedly made her harder to outguess. The human girl shifted lightly. So far trying to side-step him or get around him had gotten her nowhere; he would already be waiting to meet her blows before she'd even gotten to him. The best results had come from straight-on charge attacks. Granted, the best so far had been fairly mediocre, but it was still worth trying...

The interruption came when she was half-way to her 'opponent' across the way. "Little sheila's not gonna hit anything if she keeps moving like that."

Mana practically tripped in her surprise; Jin caught her easily with one arm. "Chu! Ya decided to show up on us!"

The giant of a man stepped out of the trees, taking a pull from the massive bottle in his hands; Mana didn't _want_ to believe that anyone could consume that much sake without passing out. Once he'd had his drink he pointed at her with the same hand that was holding the bottle. "Now see, the problem I'm seeing here is that your little lady friend is doing her thinking well enough on her feet, but her feet aren't keeping up with her head, am I right?" He slurred heavily, the 'am I right' statement almost coming out as one word. "Your gonna need better moves than that if you're going to keep up with the likes of Jin. I've been there my self, bugger gets behind you before you even realize he's not in front of you any more. You gotta learn to do the same to him."

"I... see." She forced herself to look him in the eye, not the bottle, before questioning him hesitantly. "How much have you had to drink this morning?"

"I don't right know, to be honest with you. But that's not what we're talking about here, is it?" He shook the finger at her. "What we're talking about is having the right moves. You got a good start, but you're not quite there yet."

Mana looked up at Jin, trying to decide if she should ask if this person was sane or not. To her surprise, the redhead was smiling. "Ya know, Mana, biggie here does have a good point. Chu, why don't we have a go at it, give her a chance to sit down? Ya know ya don't do too well at explainin' things by words, so we might as well." The man with the massive mohawk tilted his head as Jin went on. "Looser buys the winner a round later on, what do ya say to that?"

"Now that's what I like to hear!" It was all the girl could do not to cringe; the man was _loud_! "That's what I like about you, you always have ideas!"

The redhead patted her on the shoulder. "Ya go ahead and sit down for this one. I'd make sure to sit back kind of far, meself. This could get a little bit crazy." His ears were twitching as she ran to the edge of the circle. "Ahright, then, Chu, let's see if yer any better than the last time we had a scrap!"

To her amazement, the drunken behemoth managed not only to get across the distance between himself and Jin without falling onto his face, but with a strange sort of fluidity that Mana honestly couldn't keep track of. He weaved, not in an unsteady way but with an almost cat-like sense of liquid purpose, as though- the thought came into her head unbidden- as though channeling the contents of the bottle in his hands. But Jin wasn't idly waiting, either; by the time the crested fighter had reached him there was a small whirlwind whipping through the grass as Jin lifted off the ground. His fighting stance was loose, casual, easygoing... and allowed him to strike in virtually any direction he pleased, she saw quickly. She blinked, and in that moment Chu managed to get behind her friend, only to be fended off with a well-placed kick. "Ya been stewin' in it again, biggie? I can smell ya off a mile away!"

There was a roar of laughter from Chu as he struck for Jin's head, only to be blocked by a raised leg. The blonde felt her face burn; Jin had been going easy on her. "That's right, keep it coming! I hope you remember how to run your fists as well as your mouth!"

"Hey, lady, you might want to try sitting back a bit farther." Mana blinked, looking up. Rinku was standing there, out of nowhere. "When these two get going, it's best to just clear out entirely."

"Of course..."

The way the boy was looking at her was unnerving, but not nearly as bad as when he opened his mouth again. "I don't get it. What's supposed to be so special about you, anyway? You look like a normal girl to me."

Hadn't anyone ever taught this child anything about manners? Probably not, Mana realized with a huff. "I don't recall anyone ever saying there was anything special about me, thanks."

The boy's movements were distracting her from the fight; Rinku had bent over double, hands resting on the ground, and now pulled his legs up, turning to face her in a handstand. "Jin must think so, though. Otherwise he wouldn't keep coming back here. Are you some kind of witch or something?"

She had to fight to keep herself from twitching. "No, I'm not a witch." He definitely knew nothing of manners. The boy lifted one hand off the ground, balancing on one arm. "I'm training to be a spirit detective someday."

"You?" He gave her a critical look. "Yeah, right. Keep dreaming, lady."

Mana gritted her teeth, forcing herself to focus on the fighting. Being drunk didn't seem to hinder the behemoth Chu at all; if anything, he seemed to be getting faster and more nimble on his feet. But Jin... she felt a small shiver as the man who talked to the wind found an opening; she could actually hear a popping sound as the redhead's fist snapped Chu's head back. The giant staggered, shaking himself. "Come on, now, that's not right! Are you trying to take my whole head off there?"

"It's yer own fault for forgettin' to leave it protected!" Jin was grinning. "Face it, biggie, yer not gonna get the jump on me this time! I've got the air goin' for me here! Chu only took another draw from his bottle; Mana suspected he must have drained a quarter of it in one pull from how long he took. Jin actually started to look worried. "Hey, ya best not be thinkin' yer gonna be clubbin' me with that. Took a week to get all the glass outta me hair the last time, I'm not fallin' for that again!"

Chu looked at the bottle, actually peering into it with one eye. "Nah. That'd be a right sorry waste of what's left, I'm thinking..."

The redhead broke into a wide grin. "Ya say that, but half the time yer so far gone I swear ya don't even taste what yer drinkin'. I say that's the real waste!"

"And I think it's wasted on both of you." Mana felt a twinge of annoyance at the way these demons just appeared as they wished, but truth be told she _had_ been wondering when Suzuka would show back up. The blonde apparition bowed low, holding out the cylinder he'd taken back with him. "I believe I have it stabilized."

Repressing a large sigh, Mana reached over to take the device. The first thing she noticed was the button about an inch from one end of it. Pushing it did nothing. "It still needs my energy, right?"

There was a nod. "The buttons do absolutely nothing except showing you where the triggers for the different functions are. Go ahead, try it out."

She let the sigh out as she got to her feet. Now Jin and Chu had both forgotten their match in favor of watching her efforts with the tricky weapon. Stepping away from the trees, she tried letting just a little energy out; there was that usual snap-hiss she remembered, and in a moment she was holding a full staff. "Okay, that works."

"Good. Now do you see the buttons midway between the center and either end?" Mana nodded; each pair of buttons was about three inches apart, located right where he said. "Each blade is triggered by the inner button. Do you see how each pair faces a different direction? The blade will come out from that direction."

Mana gave one of them a try. "Last time they both popped out at once."

Suzuka looked edgy for the first time. "Well, technically that never was supposed to be how they functioned. I assure you, the application is flawless now..."

Mana pulled her hand away from the button; to her surprise, the blade remained extended. "How do I close them in?"

"A second energy pulse through the trigger should do that. That way, they won't collapse when you shift how you hold the staff. I noticed last time that you do move them between your hands a lot." Mana gave the button a second 'tap' and watched the blade click back into place. "Now give the end buttons a try, if you would."

"Of course..." Hesitating, Mana finally clicked down on one of the final points. A flame roughly the size of her own fist shot out of the corresponding end. Suzuka beamed.

"Sometimes the blades might not be enough to drive an enemy away. That's a little added protection for when things get rough. It's an effective method of defense as well as being a good offensive element. Even some of the most fire-resistant apparitions won't appreciate a good blow to the eyes." The healer nodded slowly. It did make a lot of sense, and the more tricks she had, the better. "So, do you think this is acceptable for now?"

"Ah..." She frowned lightly, trying to un-ignite it; it took a few tries for the flame to go out. The staff alone was lightweight enough that she could swing it easily, and about the same diameter as the bo staff she used for practice. It was smooth, but not enough so that it slipped from her grip. And it could fit in a pocket, she reflected quietly. It could be slipped into her school bag or her purse, too. Finally, Mana allowed herself to nod. "It seems perfect. It sounds like exactly what I need."

Right away she wondered if that was the right thing to say; the inventor almost seemed to swell up in front of her. "Why don't you take a day or two to try it out, then? Get a feel for it, so to speak?"

She nodded, observing out of the corner of one eye that Chu appeared to be threatening Jin with the bottle again and Rinku had vanished. A quick glance found the boy hanging from a tree branch from his legs. Mana did her best to ignore him, trying instead to figure out how to un-extend the staff. A second energy charge over the button didn't seem to be doing it. Withdrawing her energy completely seemed to be the only method of making the weapon collapse back down. Handy, she decided. "I'll definitely be trying it out."

"Good." He sounded almost a little too please. "I'm looking forward to learning your technique."

Mana sighed. Of course...

* * *

Mana was starting to show signs of fatigue. Jin frowned, watching her move around her kitchen that evening. This made the third day that they'd worked together, and she'd been making some progress, getting that much closer to hitting him, but she was also starting to push herself more. It was starting to take a toll on her energy levels, and he didn't like that. The girl looked tired as she handed him a plate and set next to him on the couch. "It's just simple tonight. I hope you don't mind."

He nodded, although honestly he would have liked it better without the rice. "Yer gettin' quicker at readin' me out there, Mana. Yer good at learnin' how an opponent moves."

The look the girl gave him was sullen. "Even when they're holding back?"

"Em..." Drat, he had been hoping she wouldn't bring that up. "Yeah, I'd say even then..."

Now she just looked miserable. "You're even faster when you're not holding back. I wouldn't stand a chance at hitting you if you were actually trying." She actually stabbed at a piece of fish with her chopsticks. "I'm still going to do it."

He actually felt relieved. "Atta girl, that's just the attitude ya need." Now her hair looked like it needed patting. He obliged, avoiding the butterfly clip as best as he could; it was hanging loosely to one side now, doing little to actually hold her hair back. To his surprise, she didn't so much as cast an ill glance his way. Well, that was an improvement, at least! "And just think, now that ya have that staff ya won't have to give up on wot ya want to do."

Finally, her soft scowl became less definitive. She didn't seem happy yet, but she didn't seem as unhappy, either. "Jin, are most demons in the Makai as strong as you are?"

Well, that was a fun question. He thought about it a minute, trying to decide how it could best be answered. "Most of 'em, no, they're not. Most demons lack a lot, either in power or in smarts. At the same time, though, I've heard of fighters who I would probably end up havin' to take a run from just to escape with me life. That's how it is there. Ya could be stronger than everyone ya know and ya might still have to watch yet back. That's why so many survive on cunnin' or relyin' on groups. It's not a nice world for loners." He glanced over at her. "Of course, ya wouldn't probably be worryin' about some of the stronger stuff we've got while yer safe over on this side. Most of the, they can't get through real well. And even the ones that know how have to cut down their own power to do it."

Mana actually started to choke. He patted her back until the coughing settled, at which point she looked up at him with wide eyes. "How big are we talking about that know how to get through the barriers?"

He sighed. "It depends on how smart they are. Common rule for demons is, the stronger ones are usually the smartest, too. I figure there's probably more than just a few on the highest levels who could find a way through if they wanted, but they'd usually need a reason first. This might surprise ya, but I don't think most apparitions worry too much about yer world." He couldn't stop himself from feeling a little wistful . "Most of em, I'd say they don't know wot they're missin'."

The girl ate in silence for several minutes. He let her think, waiting for her to speak on her own. Finally she set her plate down empty and looked up at him. "Why do you like it here so much, Jin?"

He set his own plate down, leaning against the back of the couch. "It's the light," he answered at last. "It's a dark world over there, Mana. We've got no sun to warm our sky, not like ya got here. The sky is red, reminds me of blood, it does. Even your darkest storm clouds make ours look friendly. There's a lot of shadow, and as one of the shinobi I was always movin' through the worst of it. Ya kind of start to wonder what it's like outside of the dark, livin' like that."

There was a slight nod from the girl. "It must feel very lonely."

The wind master stared. Had she ever used that word before on her own, without any prompting from him? "It can be, if ya don't have anyone to talk to. Usually I had Touy around with me, that was mostly wot kept me from tryin' to skip out years ago. The same old thing over and over gets borin' for me, I don't do well with it real long." He looked down at her. "How about ya, does it get lonely bein' on yer own in this apartment all the time?"

She got up from the couch then, walking over to look out the balcony doors. Her reply was so soft he almost didn't hear it. "It never used to be a problem."

He just smiled at her turned back. "Glad I could help, Mana."

"You have a strange definition of help."

He chuckled and walked over to peer outside with her. "Lot of stars out there tonight, aren't there? Me mother, she knew the names of the stars in this world. I can't remember any of them meself, though. It's been too long."

The girl looked up at the sky. "I don't know the stars, but I know some of the Greek constellations. My mother taught them to me, so I know them better than the Japanese ones." She pulled open the door, stepping outside. Curious, he followed her. "You see that?"

He followed the raised hand and the pointing finger, looking upwards. "I see a lot of thats, which one do ya mean?"

"It looks almost like a bowl shape. Look straight up from the building across the street." He nodded once he was fairly sure he'd found what she was pointing at. "If you follow those two stars there, on the end of the dipper, you find the north star. That's the one sailors used to use to find their way." She looked over at him sheepishly. "I only really know a couple of stars after that, and that's it. I guess I don't remember much, either."

He laughed quietly, ruffling her bangs. "Well, don't ya be worryin' about it any. Ya got plenty of time for lookin' at the stars." She nodded, probably more to pull away from his hand than anything. "Tomorrow's a new day, so I say we get a fresh start then and see wot happens. Who knows, ya might get yer clip yet."

There was another small nod. "Alright." The girl's eyes were far away, no longer cast towards the stars but towards the lights on the street below. Jin watched her expression, bemused. Funny, for a moment there it almost looked like she was smiling...


	23. Strike

Well, good news and bad news. The good news is the chapter is done! The bad news is that for some reason, I'm not back into the Saturday mentality after all. I don't like the idea of being late all the time, so the new update day is going to officially be Sunday from now on. This doesn't mean I won't post a Saturday update if I finish a chapter early, but don't count on it. Sorry, ya'all...

On the plus side, I'm really pleased with this chapter. The end in particular came out exactly as I wanted it to. I really got into writing it, and I'm hoping it shows. Aside from that I don't have much to say except for a huge thank-you for all of my readers, especially those of you who review. I appreciate the feedback so much! It really makes me feel good to hear about what parts of the chapters you like and what you thought while reading it. A huge thank you to you all. So let's go!

* * *

The most important thing a fighter had sometimes, Mana knew, was not strength or speed, but the ability to focus. And right now she didn't even have that going for her. Rinku was making it all but impossible to focus; it seemed like every time she turned her head there he was, constantly in motion and usually yelling things she couldn't quite make out. Right now she was doing the best she could to ignore him, but she still felt like her progress was being impeded. Jin was easily stepping around every advance she made, occasionally- and this just annoyed her- giving her a sharp rap on the back of the head in the process. She cringed as he struck her lightly again. "Gotcha!"

Scowling, she bounced from foot to foot lightly, letting her feet actually leave the ground fully. She didn't like the idea of leaving her body that off balance, it was too easy to get swept, but as long as he was just evading her it seemed to work well. The girl frowned lightly, shifting her footing before approaching him again. This time...

The impact of her hand against his shoulder as he froze suddenly actually hurt. Mana yelped lightly, rubbing her now-sore fingers. "What did you stop for?"

"Felt somethin' on the air, I did!" His ears were twitching, one of the reasons Mana was glad they could do this training out in the middle of nowhere; something she had learned about Jin over the past few days was that he seemed to have a little too much fun with the prospect of getting hit. Now the sparring seemed to be forgotten as he scanned the trees; Mana turned to look just as Jin shouted. "Oi, Yusuke!"

Mana suppressed a groan as the detective picked his way through the trees. To her surprise, he was grinning. "You need to start telling me when you're in town! I just ran into Chu downtown. You want to tell me who's letting him hit the bars this early?"

"Have ya ever tried to come between biggie and his breakfast? Ya learn real fast not to do it again!" She felt the redhead give her an absentminded pat on the head before he headed over to greet his friend. It made her want to frown. Why did Urameshi have to show up now?

The detective actually nodded to her as he sauntered towards them. "Koyama." He blinked, speaking again before she could reply. "How the hell do you spend so much time with this guy here and still keep your hair neat?"

Mana gaped, resisting the urge to reach up and pat. First she'd braided it, and then she'd wound it into a bun, and it had taken almost twenty pins before she'd felt confident that today it would not get loose. "Womanly skill," she finally answered coolly. "How is Keiko doing?"

"Oh, she's doing great." His expression reminded her of an annoyed bear she'd seen in a cartoon once. Her mother had always watched strange things... "You'd think she'd leave me alone now that I'm not in school anymore, but no, she still has to nag at me about everything."

The girl nodded quietly. Somehow it made sense to her that he wouldn't be in school any more; from what she'd heard, there probably weren't any high schools in the area that would want him anyway. Urameshi seemed to take the lack of verbal response as an okay to focus his attention elsewhere, turning towards Rinku's greetings instead. Jin also stepped forward, leaving her to feel somewhat left out. The feeling surprised her; why should she have cared? Sighing, she stepped back a bit. There was no reason to try and push her way in or anything, after all. They'd all known each other long before she'd ever met Jin...

Who, the next thing she knew, was patting her on the head again. "Come on, we've been workin' long enough for one mornin'. It's time to get some lunch!"

It wasn't until they passed a store window that she saw he'd set the other butterfly right on the top of her head. Reaching up, she pulled it off and stared at it. "Jin..."

"Ya didn't even realize ya did it, did ya?" He tousled her bangs. "Ya did good. I went and let myself slip, and ya caught it."

There was no use giving it back, she realized. "Next time I'll hit you fair and square, though." It was a daunting thought, but she wasn't going to let him go easy on her forever. She just had to find a way to get stronger...

"Ya know, if ya keep walkin' and thinkin' at the same time like that, yer goin' to walk into somethin' sooner or later." Mana flinched lightly, trying to focus more on the ground in front of her as Jin laughed lightly. "Ya think too much."

"It's better than not thinking at all," she quipped back before remembering who else she was walking with. To her surprise, Urameshi actually seemed to be laughing quietly. She felt her cheeks flush as she fell silent. Fiznit...

It wasn't until they were sitting down for lunch in a small restaurant that the detective asked. "So what were you guys doing in the middle of the woods, anyway?"

"I was helpin' Mana train!" Jin sounded cheerful. "Thought I'd help her get a little stronger, I did."

"Oh..." For a moment he seemed to not know what to say. "Any progress?"

She answered quickly, before Jin had a chance. "I'm doing fine. I'm getting faster, and I have a weapon I can use now. You don't have to worry about me."

There was actually a sigh of relief from across the table. "Good. There have been some disappearances lately, so we need you to stay on your guard."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "What kind of disappearances?"

Urameshi took a drink of his soda before replying. "Lately there have been a lot of disappearances across this providence and the next two, right? Well, we looked into it a bit, because they sounded a little fishy. People are vanishing into thin air, and it looks like most of them have histories of having a strong sixth sense or some other kind of spiritual power."

She frowned. "What do you mean, vanishing into thin air?"

"I mean we have no idea how they're being abducted. There are no signs of a struggle, and even when we've been able to find the supposed scenes Kurama can't pick up anything substantial. The most we ever get is a trace of demon energy, but the trail always goes cold too fast." He looked irate just thinking about it. "Even Hiei can't pick up anything, which means someone planned ahead pretty well. You can't trick the Jagan by chance."

Mana nodded. It sounded like something serious was going on... and of course she was being left out. "How many people have disappeared so far?"

"Close to twenty to count." The detective gave her a look. "Stay out of it, Koyama. This is way out of your league."

She stiffened. "I still have to know what's going on. I have people to look after, you know." She pointed a chopstick across the table at him. "Knowledge is the best weapon I have to defend myself."

Urameshi openly scowled. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Whatever you do." She smacked Jin's chopsticks away from her plate. "I'm still eating that."

"Thought ya might have forgotten it." His tone wasn't as lighthearted as it usually was; she wondered if this was worrisome to him, too. Yusuke Urameshi shifted across the table.

"From what we can gather, there have been seventeen disappearances over the last two months." He cut her off before she could respond. "That's a lot, I know. They started out slowly, only one or two a week or so, but they've been picking up the pace lately. They also started out simple, mostly kids our age without any real training,. Some of them we could only guess had any sort of power of their own based on Kurama and Kuwabara's intuitions after meeting their parents, so whoever is taking them doesn't even care if their abilities are developed or not. But the last few have come from some pretty tough families, and a couple were even trained in basic defense. They're also getting older. It looks like they're going for bigger and bigger catches every time now."

She nodded slowly. "What kind of areas are they being taken from?"

"It changes from case to case. About the only consistency we've noticed is that there hasn't been a single hit within two miles of any sort of temple or sacred grounds. I'm still not sure how Kurama noticed that, but he did. Aside from that, there's nothing."

She nodded. That didn't just sound serious, it sounded _bad_. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

"I've been trying to for almost a week now. You haven't exactly been easy to find." He shifted. "And besides, there hadn't been any disappearances from this city yet."

"Yet." The healer scowled. "Which means there has been one now."

He nodded with a small sigh. "Yeah, they got one across town a few days ago. It looked like they were avoiding this area, but they seem to be getting more confident. If anything, we're hoping it means the bastards will slip up soon."

She only nodded, letting it all sink in. People were vanishing, and of course it hadn't been her problem until it was too close to home. No, she reminded herself, even then it wasn't her problem. Urameshi was just telling her to be on her guard. There was a difference. "I'll be careful."

"Good. Look, I'm not telling you to go looking for trouble or anything. We don't even know if anyone who's gone missing is dead or alive. We can't afford for you to go poking around and get caught next, but..." The detective paused hesistantly. "But if you do happen to see anything suspicious, let us know, okay? Just... keep the wind at your back."

Mana almost choked on her tea. She sputtered a into her cup, only able to speak once Jin had patted her on the back a few times. "The first time I told you about that, you treated it like a joke."

Urameshi actually looked almost sheepish. "Yeah, honestly I was mentally comparing you to someone else I knew at the time." He glanced, although probably not meaning to at the time, at the redhead, who Mana noted was looking confused. "Kind of makes it hard to take that at face value."

Jin let go of the confusion to give her an accusing look. "Mana, wot can ya do that ya haven't told me about?"

She sighed, picking at her napkin. "Sometimes I can sense something coming if it's upwind of me. Only sometimes, though, some things don't register right for some reason. That's how I found you in the first place, the breeze that day was blowing straight down the alley." Jin gave her a long stare, and then out of nowhere reached over and knuckled either side of her head. She yelped. "Hey!"

"See, this is exactly the kind of thing ya need to be tellin' me about! If I'd have know ya could do that, I could have been helpin' ya with it this whole time!"

She jerked away. Damn, she could feel the pins starting to slip. So much for a Jin-proof hairstyle. "I didn't think it was important, okay? I only had _someone _laugh in my face the first time I ever tried to bring it up!" Urameshi flinched across the table. Jin stared at him for a moment before looking down at her. She couldn't stand it any more. She got up from the table. "I'll be back."

Even Jin didn't try to stop her as she headed for the women's restroom, slamming the door behind her and venting her frustrations on the useless hair pins instead.

* * *

The wind master sighed lightly. He was starting to figure out that these two could only get along when there was a large enough group to act as a buffer between them. "Eh, Rinku, go track down Chu, would ya? Biggie's goin' to be mad if he finds out he missed a meal." The boy nodded and ran off; scenes like that always seemed to make him uncomfortable as well. Sometimes being more observant than people gave him credit for had it's uses. That left Jin and Yusuke alone at the table. He looked across at the irate detective. Yusuke was toying with his chopsticks. "I'm bettin' ya got yer own side of the story to this, don't ya?"

"Kurama handles her better than I do. I never know what to say to her." One of the sticks bent slightly in his hands. "I'm still trying to convince myself that it's okay to let her be serious about this. I guess I'm doing a crummy job."

Jin nodded. "Ya want to talk about wot made ya so dead set against her to start with? Seems to me like there's a lot goin' on here that the two of ya can't talk through on yer own."

The detective sat back, chest heaving lightly as he sighed. "Might as well. It's not like she's going to listen to me at all about it. I still can't figure out why she even listens to you."

Maybe because I give her half a chance, the apparition thought with a frown. He could tell very easily what Mana's problem was in this situation. It was the girl's pride guiding her tongue again. He sighed; Touya had always been a better mediator than he was, but he had to give this a shot. They were both his friends. "Do ya honestly not like the girl?"

"It's never been a matter of whether I liked her or not." Yusuke frowned. "You've spent more time with her than I ever have, do you really think she could hold her own against the sort of opponents I fought in the Dark Tournament?"

Jin was forced to shake his head. "Not for a moment, I don't. Even Bakken could torn the poor lass apart with half a chance, and ya cleaned him out well enough. Mana, she never learned to really fight anythin' but other humans."

"Exactly." The young human scowled lightly. "I met a couple of kids once who would have been more of a threat to a demon than her. She could get killed doing this, and she doesn't even have the sense to realize it."

Jin glanced down at the abandoned cup of tea next to him. He wasn't amused by the situation exactly, but there was almost a sort of dark humor around just how much these two humans missed because they wouldn't talk to each other. "Yusuke, ya never even once asked her how her mother died, did ya?"

His timing could have been better; the detective had been taken a drink at the time. There was a lot of choking going around today, it seemed. "That's not exactly the kind of information she just gives out, you know. She takes things like that way too personally."

"She told me within' a day of meeting me. Her mum was some kind of detective of her own right, but didn't live through the job. Wot's worst of it is that her father doesn't even know the truth. She's been keepin' it to herself for years, not even able to do any talkin' with the one parent she's got left. She let that all out the mornin' after we met, didn't take more than a little proddin' at all."

Yusuke leaned forward, against the table. "You must have some real skill for getting her to talk. She's an absolute ice queen to everyone else."

"Sometimes it takes actively holdin' her in place 'til the conversin' is through," the wind master admitted reluctantly. "If ya catch her in the wrong mood ya usually have to corner her to get anythin' out, but she'll still talk if she's feelin' ya might actually listen."

"There's your problem, then, I never seem to catch her in anything but the wrong mood. She snaps at me from the moment I try to talk to her."

Jin nodded lightly; he'd seen that happen, too. "She can get that way. The trick is to push through it."

"More like the trick is to let Kurama deal with her," the detective muttered. "He's the diplomatic one, not me. He seems to have no problem having a conversation with her."

The redhead thought back to what Mana had said before leaving the table. "Has he ever laughed at her?"

There was a long silence before Yusuke answered, and when he did it was with only one word. "No."

Which was just what Jin had thought. "There are times when it seems to me that Mana's got more pride than Shishi. Ya gotta watch out for that."

They had to cut their conversation short as Mana finally came back to the table. She had torn her hair down, letting it hang loose down her back, but she was wearing a butterfly over either ear and that gave him some small hope. What he thought he might be dealing with were two people who were both too stubborn for their own good; Mana and Yusuke both seemed to have that same hard-headed determination that pushed them towards their goals regardless of what stood in their way. They were the kind of people, he decided, that would have made brilliant friends under any other sort of circumstances... but it was probably better to not get his hopes up. Mana's ability to hold a grudge was stronger than anything he'd ever seen in a woman before, even a few of his own ex-girlfriends that he'd rather not recall. Well, he thought ruefully, maybe one or two of _them_ could out-do the human. But not by much.

The girl was sullen through the rest of lunch, and the sour mood carried over throughout the rest of the day. She disappeared after dinner. Playing on a hunch that had more to do with the fact that she'd changed into her gi than anything else, he headed up to the roof to find her. She was using the staff Suzuka had provided, practicing katas that flowed even more now that she had something in her hands to channel her energy with. He watched the silver pole spin in her hands, wondering why she seemed so much more confident now, her face as lined with determination as it was with anger, than she ever had in the forest. Her motions were crisp and even, enough so to make the sleeves on her gi snap slightly. On a whim Jin reached forward, intending to catch one end of the staff as it swung near him. His hand never reached it.

All at once it was as though he was seeing a different side of the girl he knew, a side that had shown glimpses of itself in the forest but had never fully emerged. She spun back, out of his way, and on a whim he followed, trying to catch hold of the weapon again. She responded to the challenge, darting back further out of his reach and then twisting mid-evasion to strike on her own. He was so used to following just her hands that the weapon itself almost caught him, but it was easy enough to adjust to the change in her reach once he'd gotten a feel for how she held the staff. She jabbed one end of the weapon at him; he blocked it with a palm, and to his surprise it stung. She had a definite hand for what she was doing, he decided. With that weapon, she could almost be called dangerous.

He approached her again, noting that her movements were completely different with the staff in her hands. She allowed herself to twist more while she had a weapon to guard herself with. Her motions were more spontaneous, harder to predict, but at the same time they were more graceful and more forceful as well. The next blow he deflected left his fingers tingling slightly, but he managed to knock her backwards once he'd gotten past it. She adjusted her footing, and to his surprise resorted to the same half-skips she'd been using earlier. He found himself having to watch her ankles and her hands at the same time, as that seemed to be the only sure way to predict her directions. It was a task that was easy enough for him, but still slightly unnerving as the staff passed by one ear as soon as he took a moment to fully focus on her feet. So that was where her skills were hidden. She was a decent fighter hand to hand, considering her level of experience, but once she had a weapon she was _good_. It was pointless to try and teach her to throw a decent punch. That wasn't where her strengths lay at all.

He tried twisting around behind her; she kept her feet close together and met him with another tingling blow, and this time he watched carefully to see how she did it. She didn't swing the staff so much as she jabbed it at him with short, sharp thrusts. He had to be careful to use his palms to block them, otherwise she was liable to break one of his fingers. He glanced at her eyes whenever he could; somehow the act of trying to take his head off seemed to be having an almost soothing effect on her, the angered lines on her face giving way to a more rational determination. At one point he thought he would be able to take hold of the weapon until the girl yelled sharply, throwing him off, something else she hadn't been doing before. Even that didn't prepare him, though, for when he thought he had a shot at the weapon only to be greeted by a kick. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. Well, if that was how she wanted to play...

They sparred in silence for several more minutes before he decided it was time to stop indulging her. Her eyes went wide at his first burst of speed, but her feet didn't waver- if anything, that steady side-to-side motion was starting to get mildly distracting. She changed her tactics, trying to sidestep him, but it was his turn to turn and meet her, driving her back steadily with every blow. If he hit the staff hard enough to one side it threw her balance off for perhaps a second; it took him less than a minute to take advantage of that, seizing her by one arm and forcing her to the ground. Mana's knees hit the flat rooftop with a soft thump, and for a moment all he could hear was the sound of her heavy breathing before she finally spoke. "I yield."

He let go of her arm, reaching a hand to help her up. "Now how come ya couldn't fight like that earlier?"

The healer gave a non-committal shrug before allowing him to pull her up. "I don't know. It just didn't feel the same. You seemed more intimidating out there." Her hair was a mess. He reached over and brushed some of it out of her eyes, trying not to smile at the way one clip had slipped slightly. It looked as though the winged insect was frantically holding on to the gold strands. He adjusted it for her, earning a slight scowl in response before she caught her breath and went on with the topic at hand. "I like this weapon. It feels good to use it."

"I imagined as much, watchin' ya. Ya work well with it." He gave her a smile. "Do ya feel a bit better now, maybe?"

There was another nod as the girl turned, walking over towards the edge of the building. Jin followed her as she sat down to face the setting sun. "Fighting clears my head. It won't let me think about anything else, it always makes me focus. I can't dwell on things when I'm sparring."

"I know that feelin' meself. There are times when a body just needs a good scrap." The girl nodded and then, to his great surprise, leaned her head against him. He could feel her heaving lightly still; she had worn herself down well. He smiled down at the top of her head. "Ya got me good a few times there. And here I thought I had how ya fight all figured out. Ya like makin' a fool of a fellow, don't ya?" Her reply was a weak half-laugh, and he realized that he was likely going to have to carry her downstairs. Well, that was fine with him. The wind master smiled to himself as the sun sank down below the buildings, silhouetting them as the city lights started to flicker on. Mana was a good girl, and he didn't mind helping her out. He would make a fighter of her yet. It only took a few minutes for the healer to fall asleep against his shoulder once the fiery sphere had settled, but Jin was wide awake until the last slips of color had faded from the sky, drinking it all in. There was just too much over here to pass up, too many good and amazing things to see and wonder over. There was too much life to live. Somehow, he decided, he was going to have to get her to see that, too.

Humans never did seem to realize how good the world around them was...


End file.
